B    3    1DM    221 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


A   MEMOIR 


ON  THE 


LIFE  AND   CHARACTER 


OF 


PHILIP  SYNG  PHYSICK,   M.  D 


BY 


J.  RANDOLPH,  M.D., 


Lecturer  on  Surgery,  Member  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  one  of  the  Surgeons 
to  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  Member  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Phy- 
sicians, one  of  the  Consulting  Purgeons  to  the  Philadelphia 
Dispensary,  Honorary  Member  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Medical  Society,  etc.  etc. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PRINTED  BY  T.  K.  &  P.  G.  COLLINS, 
No.  1  LODGE  ALLEY. 

1839 


PHILADELPHIA,  February  21,  183D. 

SIR: 

In  pursuance  of  a  resolution  adopted  by  the  Philadelphia  Medical 
Society,  at  a  meeting  held  on  Wednesday,  the  20th  of  February,  1839,  it 
becomes  our  duty  to  convey  to  you  the  thanks  of  the  Society  for  the  able 
and  highly  interesting  memoir  on  the  life  and  labours  of  its  late  venerated 
president,  Philip  Syng  Physick,  M.  D.,  and  to  request  of  you  a  copy  for 
publication. 

Permit  us,  sir,  in  performing  this  duty,  also  to  tender  you  our  own 
assurances  of  the  mournful  pleasure  with  which,  on  that  occasion,  we 
listened  to  the  narrative  of  the  life  of  a  truly  great  and  good  man,  with 
whom  we  may  no  longer  enjoy  the  highly  prized  happiness  of  personal 
and  professional  intercourse. 

With  great  respect, 

We  have  the  honour  to  be 

Your  obedient  servants, 

REYNELL  COATES, 
ISAAC  HAYS, 
THOMAS  HARRIS, 
Committee  of  Philadelphia  Medical  Society. 
To 

J.  RANDOLPH,  M.  D. 


t         PHILADELPHIA,  February  25,  1839. 

GENTLEMEN: 

It  is  with  sincere  gratification  that  I  have  received  your  letter,  com- 
municating the  very  honourable  notice  which  the  Philadelphia  Medical 
Society  has  been  pleased  to  take  of  my  efforts  to  delineate  the  life  and 
labours  of  its  late  lamented  president,  Philip  Syng  Physick,  M.  D.  Agree- 
ably to  its  request  I  place  at  your  disposal  a  copy  of  the  memoir  for  pub- 
lication. Permit  me  to  return  you  my  grateful  thanks  for  the  nattering 
manner  in  which  you  have  conveyed  to  me  the  resolution  adopted  by  the 
Society. 

I  assure  you  that,  if  the  portrait  which  I  have  attempted  to  draw  be 
recognised  as  a  true  and  faithful  copy  of  the  original,  the  highest  aim 
which  I  had  in  view  is  attained. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

With  great  regard  and  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  RANDOLPH. 
To  Messrs. 

REYNELL  COATES, 
ISAAC  HAYS, 
THOMAS  HARRIS, 

Committee  of  Philadelphia  Medical  Society. 


TO  THE 

SHADE  OF  JOHN  HUNTER, 

THIS  IMPERFECT  SKETCH 

OF  THE 

LIFE  AND  LABOURS 

OF  A 

FAVOURITE  AND  ATTACHED  PUPIL 

IS 

RESPECTFULLY  CONSECRATED 


A    MEMOIR. 


GENTLEMEN  : 

Permit  me  to  express  my  sincere  acknowledg- 
ments for  the  honour  you  have  conferred,  in  ap- 
pointing me  to  prepare  a  Memoir  of  the  life  and 
character  of  the  long  venerated  President  of  this 
institution,  the  late  Doctor  Physick. 

I  am  quite  sensible,  that  the  selection  was  ow- 
ing rather  to  my  connection  wTith  the  illustrious 
deceased,  and  the  close  and  intimate  relation  which 
necessarily  existed  between  us  for  a  long  series  of 
years,  than  to  any  peculiar  ability  I  may  possess, 
of  recording  his  many  virtues  and  high  qualifica- 
tions. I  am  fully  aware  also,  of  the  weighty 
responsibility  which  that  man  assumes,  who  un- 
dertakes to  transmit  to  posterity  a  portrait,  which, 
well  and  properly  executed,  may  serve  as  a  light 
and  example  to  illumine  and  instruct  succeeding 
ages.  The  effort  to  accomplish  this  object  I 
consider,  however,  a  duty  which  I  owe  alike  to 
you,  and  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Physick  ,•  and  I 


8  A  MEMOIR 

shall  endeavor  to  discharge  my  obligations  in  the 
best  possible  manner  consistent  with  my  means 
and  abilities. 

Most  deeply  do  I  deplore,  in  the  commence- 
ment of  my  task,  the  want  of  proper  materials, 
which,  faithfully  recorded,  would  enable  Dr.  Phy- 
sick's  great  and  exalted  character  fully  to  develop 
itself.  Many  of  you,  Gentlemen,  cannot  be  igno- 
rant, that  the  subject  of  our  memoir  throughout 
his  whole  life,  entertained  a  most  invincible  re- 
pugnance to  appear  before  the  public  in  the  shape 
of  an  Author.  Sorry  I  am  to  say,  that  this  feel- 
ing existed  with  him  to  the  day  of  his  death,  and 
induced  him  to  make  an  ardent  request,  and  exact 
the  promise  that  none  of  his  manuscript  lectures 
or  letters  should  be  made  public. 

The  same  modesty  of  feeling  which  he  pos- 
sessed to  an  extraordinary  degree,  and  which  forms 
so  principal  an  ingredient  in  the  composition  of  a 
truly  great  and  noble  mind,  caused  him  also  to 
refuse  to  comply  with  the  repeated  requests  which 
were  made  to  him,  to  furnish  sufficient  facts  upon 
which  a  sketch  of  his  biography  might  be  founded. 
Upon  one  occasion  only,  after  urgent  solicitations 
on  my  part,  did  he  place  in  my  possession  some 
dates  and  incidents  of  his  life,  with  the  permission 
that  I  might  make  use  of  them ;  he  excused  him- 
self, however,  from  completing  the  materials  at 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK. 

that  time,  upon  the  plea  of  his  ill  health,  and  a 
promise  to  furnish  them  at  a  subsequent  period. 
His  disinclination  to  fulfil  this  promise  was  so 
obvious  that  I  did  not  feel  myself  justifiable  in 
renewing  the  application. 

Philip  Syng  Physick  was  born  in  Philadelphia 
on  the  7th  of  July,  1768.  His  father,  Mr.  Edmund 
Physick,  was  an  Englishman,  and  was  character- 
ised for  possessing  strong  mental  powers,  with 
which  were  united  strict  integrity  of  principle, 
and  considerable  knowledge  of  the  world.  Pre- 
viously to  the  separation  of  the  United  States  from 
Great  Britain,  he  held  the  office  of  Keeper  of  the 
Great  Seal  of  the  Colony  of  Pennsylvania ;  and 
subsequently  to  the  Revolution  he  took  charge  of 
the  estates  belonging  to  the  Penn  family,  and 
served  as  their  confidential  agent.  Doctor  Phy- 
sick's  mother  wras  a  most  estimable,  pious  wo- 
man, who  was  blessed  with  a  strong  intellect, 
and  evinced  throughout  her  life,  great  judgment 
and  decision  of  character.  The  Doctor  never 
ceased  to  feel  and  express,  as  long  as  he  lived,  the 
greatest  filial  love  and  reverence  for  these  honoured 
parents.  We  have  frequently  known  him  to  de- 
clare, that  he  was  convinced  that  whatever  was 
most  useful  and  excellent  in  his  character,  was 
attributable  to  the  early  lessons  and  impressions 
which  he  imbibed  from  them. 


10  A  MEMOIR 

From  such  parents  as  these  it  must  have  result- 
ed that  the  greatest  care  and  attention  would  he 
hestowed  upon  the  education  of  their  children. 
It  must  be  regarded  as  a  fortunate  circumstance 
also  that  his  father  had  succeeded  by  great  indus- 
try and  attention  to  business,  in  accumulating  a 
property  which,  in  those  days,  was  looked  upon  as 
considerable;  and  being  thus  in  possession  of  ample 
means,  he  was  enabled  to  carry  out  to  the  fullest 
extent,  the  plan  of  education  which  he  designed 
for  his  son. 

In  doing  so,  Dr.  Physick  informed  me  that  his 
father  was  influenced  by  a  degree  of  liberality 
very  unusual  in  that,  or  indeed  in  any  age.  Dou- 
ble fees  transmitted  to  the  teacher  uniformly 
testified  the  great  importance  which  he  attached 
to  a  liberal  education,  and  the  value  which  he 
thought  should  be  set  upon  the  sources  from 
which  it  epnanated.  This  was  not  only  intended 
for  an  encouragement  to  the  instructor  to  use  his 
best  endeavours  on  behalf  of  his  son,  but  because 
the  donor  believed  it  to  be  his  duty  to  increase  the 
remuneration,  inasmuch  as  the  charges  for  tuition 
in  that  day  were  so  low  that  they  could  not  be 
considered  as  a  fair  equivalent  for  the  services 
rendered. 

Mr.  Physick  placed  his  son,  when  eleven  years 
of  age,  in  the  academy  belonging  to  the  Society  of 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  1 1 

Friends,  in  south  Fourth  street,  under  the  tuition 
of  Robert  Proud.  At  this  period  Mr.  Physick 
resided  in  the  country,  upon  the  banks  of  the 
Schuylkill,  several  miles  from  the  city,  upon  an 
estate  belonging  to  the  Penn  family.  In  order  to 
facilitate  the  education  of  his  son,  he  was  boarded 
in  the  city,  in  the  family  of  the  late  Mr.  John 
Todd,  the  father-in-law  of  the  present  venerable 
Mrs.  Madison.  Even  at  that  early  age  the  subject 
of  our  memoir  exhibited  very  strong  indications 
of  those  well  regulated  habits  of  order  and  method 
which  adhered  to  him  so  closely  throughout  his 
life.  In  consequence  of  his  family  residing  in  the 
country,  he  was  permitted  to  go  home  every  Satur- 
day after  the  school  broke  up,  for  the  purpose  of 
visiting  them  and  remaining  with  them  until  the 
following  Monday  morning.  He  then  not  unfre- 
quently  was  obliged  to  walk  into  town,  and  some- 
times through  most  inclement  weather.  Notwith- 
standing this,  he  always  succeeded  in  presenting 
himself  at  school  exactly  at  the  time  of  its  opening. 
His  teacher  was  so  much  gratified  with  this  extra- 
ordinary punctuality,  that  he  took  pleasure  in 
holding  him  up  as  an  example  to  other  boys,  who, 
though  living  in  the  vicinity  of  the  school,  were 
too  apt  to  be  remiss  in  making  their  appearance 
at  the  proper  hour. 

Young  Mr.  Physick  remained  at  this  academy 


12  A  MEMOIR 

until  he  entered  the  collegiate  department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  then  passed 
through  the  usual  course  of  studies  prescribed  in 
that  institution,  and  took  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts  in  May,  1785.  I  am  not  aware  that  any 
thing  remarkable  occurred  during  the  period  of 
his  collegiate  studies.  That  he  was  a  diligent  and 
exemplary  student  cannot  for  a  moment  be  ques- 
tioned. It  is  well  known  that  he  was  particularly 
successful  in  acquiring  a  thorough  and  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  classics,  of  which  he  retained 
sufficient,  amid  all  his  engagements,  to  be  able  to 
translate  them  with  facility,  to  the  time  of  his 
death, 

In  June,  1785,  one  month  after  he  obtained  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  he  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine,  under  the  superintendence  of 
the  late  Doctor  Adam  Kuhn,  well  known  as  the 
pupil  of  Linnaeus,  and  a  most  distinguished  and 
successful  practitioner,  and  then  Professor  of  the 
Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania.  Of  the  particular  motives 
which  influenced  young  Mr.  Physick  in  the  choice 
of  this  profession  I  am  unable  to  speak.  It  does 
not  appear  that  he  at  that  period  evinced  any  strong 
predilection  for  this  department  of  science.  I  think 
it  more  than  probable  that  he  was  principally  go- 
verned by  the  wishes  of  his  father ;  and  so  strong 


OF  DR.  PIIYSICK.  13 

were  his  feelings  of  filial  obedience  that  I  am  very 
certain  that  he  would  at  any  time  readily  have 
yielded  his  own  wishes  to  those  of  his  parents. 
The  following  anecdote  is  traditionary  in  the 
family.  His  father,  whilst  handling  a  knife,  had 
the  misfortune  to  cut  one  of  his  fingers ;  and  the 
wound  proved  to  be  so  severe  that  he  was  obliged  to 
engage  the  services  of  a  medical  friend.  Upon  one 
occasion  his  son  begged  of  him  to  be  permitted  to 
apply  the  necessary  dressings  and  bandage  to  the 
finger:  his  father  consented,  and  was  so  much 
surprised  at  the  great  skill  and  dexterity  which 
his  son  displayed  in  making  the  applications,  that 
he  determined  in  his  own  mind  to  make  him  a 
surgeon. 

If  it  be  true  that  we  are  indebted  so  exclusively 
to  Mr.  Physiek  for  directing  his  son's  attention  to 
the  study  of  medicine,  to  what  an  immeasurable 
extent  does  it  not  increase  the  amount  of  obliga- 
tion and  gratitude  that  we  owe  to  him? 

Dr.  Physiek  was  remarkable  throughout  life  for 
possessing  feelings  of  the  most  acute  and  susceptible 
nature.  It  may  be  truly  said  of  him  that  he  pos- 
sessed a  soul  feelingly  alive  to  the  miseries  and 
sufferings  of  others.  I  feel  compelled  to  confess, 
that  I  do  not  think  Dr.  Physiek  himself  could 
support  pain  with  the  same  degree  of  fortitude  and 
composure  which  we  have  sometimes  met  with  in 


14  A  MEMOIR 

persons  who  suffered  to  an  equal  extent  with  him- 
self; it  is  undeniable,  however,  that  he  was  ex- 
tremely unwilling  to  be  the  source  of  inflicting 
pain  upon  others.  This  tenderness  of  feeling, 
which  adhered  to  him  closely  as  long  as  he  lived, 
as  I  shall  have  occasion  to  show  during  the  pro- 
gress of  this  memoir,  existed  also  in  full  force  in 
the  days  of  his  youth.  He  used  frequently  to 
declare  at  this  period  of  his  life,  that  he  never 
could  be  a  surgeon.  Little  was  he  aware,  that  he 
would  live  to  afford  in  his  own  person,  a  complete 
illustration  of  the  position,  that  the  practice  of 
medicine  and  surgery,  so  far  from  hardening  and 
rendering  callous  the  feelings,  has  a  direct  con- 
trary tendency,  and  serves  pre-eminently  to  soften 
and  refine  them.  His  example  also  went  far  to 
prove,  in  connection  with  the  result  of  our  whole 
experience  upon  this  subject,  that  in  order  for  a 
man  to  become  a  great  and  good  surgeon,  it  is  ab- 
solutely necessary  for  him  to  possess  to  the  fullest 
extent,  the  best  and  kindest  feelings  of  which  hu- 
man nature  is  susceptible. 

The  following  incident,  which  occurred  to  Dr. 
Physick,  and  which  was  in  fact  characteristic,  may 
not  be  deemed  uninteresting.  Soon  after  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine,  it  was  announced 
that  an  amputation  would  be  performed  upon  a 
certain  day,  at  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital.  His 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  15 

preceptor,  Professor  Kuhn,  wished  him  to  witness 
this  operation,  but  understanding  perfectly  well 
the  peculiar  temperament  of  his  pupil,  he  gave  it 
as  his  advice  that  his  father  should  accompany 
him.  His  father  did  go  with  him,  and  fortunately 
too,  inasmuch  as  his  son  became  so  sick  during 
the  operation  that  it  was  necessary  to  lead  him 
from  the  amphitheatre  before  it  was  concluded. 

Dr.  Physick  continued  to  prosecute  his  medical 
studies  under  the  superintendence  of  Professor 
Kuhn,  for  the  period  of  three  years.  In  those 
days  it  was  customary  for  the  student  of  medicine, 
previously  to  his  obtaining  the  honours  of  the  doc- 
torate, to  go  through  a  much  more  extensive  course 
of  reading  than  is  now  deemed  necessary.  By 
the  direction  of  his  preceptor  Dr.  Physick  read 
through  most  diligently  and  faithfully,  many  vo- 
luminous works  of  the  older  medical  writers, 
some  of  which,  if  not  absolutely  obsolete  at  the 
present  day,  are  only  used  as  works  of  reference. 
We  have  abundance  of  evidence  which  goes  to 
prove,  that  even  at  that  early  period  of  his  life, 
Dr.  Physick  evinced  the  most  resolute  determina- 
tion to  qualify  himself  by  every  possible  means,  for 
assuming  a  most  useful  and  honourable  standing  in 
his  profession :  and  there  cannot  be  a  question  but 
that  he  must  have  gleaned  from  amidst  this  great 
mass  of  laborious  reading,  much  valuable  informa- 


16  A  MEMOIR 

tion,  which  he  subsequently  applied  to  a  most  ex- 
cellent purpose. 

It  may  be  stated,  that  Dr.  Physick's  whole  de- 
portment during  the  period  of  his  pupilage  wTith 
Professor  Kuhn,  was  so  perfectly  correct  and  satis- 
factory, as  to  merit  his  entire  approbation:  it  is 
well  known,  too,  that  Dr.  Physick  cherished,  as 
long  as  he  lived,  feelings  of  the  warmest  affection 
and  regard  for  his  venerable  preceptor,  and  it  was 
a  source  of  great  gratification  to  him  to  know  that 
these  feelings  were  reciprocated. 

In  addition  to  the  instruction  which  Dr.  Phy- 
sick derived  from  Professor  Kuhn,  he  also  attended 
at  this  same  period  the  medical  lectures  delivered 
in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  did  not, 
however,  graduate  in  medicine  in  that  institution. 
The  opportunities  for  the  acquisition  of  profound 
medical  knowledge  offered  by  the  schools  and  hos- 
pitals of  this  country,  then  in  its  infancy,  were 
too  limited  to  satisfy  either  his  conscience  or  his 
ambition.  He  could  not  convince  his  mind  that 
his  knowledge  of  medicine  was  sufficiently  en- 
larged to  warrant  him  in  assuming  to  himself  the 
deep  and  important  responsibilities  attendant  upon 
the  practice  of  a  profession  which  involved  the 
lives  and  happiness  of  so  many  of  his  fellow^  crea- 
tures. In  order  for  the  more  effectual  completion 
of  his  education,  he  entertained  an  ardent  desire 


OF  DR.  PHYS1CK.  17 

to  visit  Great  Britain,  and  avail  himself  of  the  ad- 
vantages which  were  afforded  by  the  great  schools 
and  hospitals  of  London  and  Edinburgh.  His 
father  happily  coincided  with  these  views,  and 
determined  upon  accompanying  his  son.  Accord- 
ingly they  embarked  for  Europe  in  November, 
1788,  and  arrived  in  London  in  January,  1789. 

I  may  mention  that  Dr.  Physick's  sole  object 
in  visiting  Europe,  was  that  of  acquiring  medical 
information.  I  doubt  very  much  whether  any 
man  ever  visited  that  country  with  less  desire  or 
expectation  of  partaking  of  its  gaieties  and  amuse- 
ments than  himself.  I  repeat,  with  him  the 
grand  consideration  wras  the  acquisition  of  know- 
ledge :  to  this  he  applied  himself  with  the  most 
ardent  devotion,  and  never  permitted  amusements 
of  any  kind  to  turn  him  aside  from  the  pursuit 
of  it. 

Fortunately  for  Dr.  Physick,  his  father's  con- 
nections in  London  were  such,  that  he  was  ena- 
bled to  introduce  his  son  to  some  of  the  most 
learned  and  polished  society,  both  among  the  110- 
bility  and  gentry,  of  that  great  metropolis.  An 
intercourse  of  this  kind  created  for  him  an  influ- 
ence and  gave  him  opportunities  by  means  of 
which  his  cherished  views  were  considerably  pro- 
moted. Any  one  who  ever  encountered  Dr. 
Physick  must  have  been  struck  with  the  exceed- 
3 


18  A  MEMOIR 

ing  dignity  and  courteousness  of  his  manner.  For 
this  no  doubt  he  was  principally  indebted  to  na- 
ture. I  am,  however,  of  the  opinion  that  it  was 
in  some  degree  acquired  and  confirmed  by  his 
association  with  the  most  elevated  society  whilst 
abroad.  By  means  of  this  same  influence  Mr. 
Physick  succeeded  in  securing  the  consent  of  Mr. 
John  Hunter,  then  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
anatomists  and  surgeons  of  the  age,  to  receive  his 
son  under  his  immediate  care  and  tuition. 

I  have  reason  to  believe  that  Dr.  Physick  con- 
sidered this  as  the  most  important  era  in  his  pro- 
fessional life.  He  early  became  convinced  of  the 
extraordinary  advantages  wThich  he  might  derive 
from  this  connection  with  Mr.  Hunter,  and  pro- 
ceeded accordingly  to  devote  himself  with  the 
most  ardent  zeal  to  the  study  of  practical  anatomy 
and  surgery.  By  dint  of  constant  and  unwearied 
application  to  his  studies,  aided  also  by  a  course 
of  unceasing  and  untiring  dissections,  he  soon 
made  rapid  advancement  in  the  attainment  of  his 
objects,  and  what  was  also  of  much  consequence, 
secured  to  himself  the  approbation  and  esteem  of 
his  great  master.  Mr.  Hunter,  in  fact,  was  so 
well  pleased  with  the  zeal  and  industry,  combined 
with  the  correct  deportment,  exhibited  by  Dr. 
Physick,  that  he  took  pleasure  in  acknowledging 
him  as  a  favourite  pupil,  and  bestowed  upon  him, 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  19 

in  the  most  unreserved  confidence,  the  full  benefit 
of  his  advice  and  experience.  During  this  period 
Dr.  Physick  attended  regularly  the  lectures  deli- 
vered by  Mr.  John  Clark  and  Dr.  Wm.  Osborne 
on  Midwifery. 

Among  the  manuscript  papers  left  by  Dr.  Phy- 
sick  which  have  fallen  into  my  possession,  I  have 
a  note  book,  kept  by  him  during  his  stay  in  Eng- 
land, in  which  he  recorded  such  facts  and  inci- 
dents as  came  under  his  observation,  which  he 
supposed  might  be  of  service  to  him  subsequently. 
I  take  the  liberty  of  making  two  or  three  extracts 
from  these  notes,  in  order  to  exemplify  the  careful 
manner  in  which  he  performed  this  duty,  and  the 
pains  which  he  took  to  treasure  up  all  the  infor- 
mation which  he  gained. 

"February,  1789. — Visited  Mr.  Hunter.  In 
the  evening,  after  being  entertained  with  tea,  cof- 
fee, and  general  conversation,  Doctor  Baillie  exhi- 
bited a  preparation."  He  then  goes  on  to  describe 
the  preparation;  which,  although  exceedingly  inte- 
resting to  the  medical  profession,  it  would  not  be 
proper  to  insert  here. 

"February,  1789. — Mr.  Home  performed  an 
operation  on  a  sheep  which  had  the  staggers,  in 
the  following  manner.  After  making  a  crucial  in- 
cision through  the  integuments  of  the  cranium, 
he  applied  the  trephine,  and  removed  a  portion  of 


20  A  MEMOIR 

the  bone  from  the  upper  and  middle  part  of  the 
cranium.  When  this  was  done,  he  introduced  a 
pair  of  small  forceps,  with  which  he  extracted  a 
tasnia  hydatigena.  The  effect  was,  that  the  sheep, 
being  set  at  liberty,  stood  on  its  legs,  which  before 
it  could  not  do.  This,  however,  was  only  a  tem- 
porary amendment,  as  it  died  about  twenty  hours 
after  the  operation  was  performed." 

"November  15,  1789. — Mr.  Cruickshank  re- 
lated the  particulars  of  a  case  of  hydrothorax,  in 
which,  upon  opening  into  the  right  side  of  the 
chest,  he  evacuated  nine  pints  of  water,  and  in 
the  left  side  there  was  found  one  pint.  The  lung 
of  the  right  side  was  compressed  to  a  small  size, 
and  instead  of  feeling  spongy  as  common,  it  was 
solid  and  fleshy,  and  quite  incapable  of  being  di- 
lated by  air,  so  that  the  respiration  was  carried  on 
by  the  left  lung  altogether.  The  patient,  during 
his  life,  was  incapable  of  sitting  or  standing  up, 
feeling  great  pain  when  he  attempted  it ;  but  was 
quite  easy  in  bed  when  lying  on  his  right  side, 
but  could  not  lie  on  his  left  side.  His  pulse,  for 
near  two  months  before  his  death,  was  quite  regu- 
lar, though  before  that  time  it  had  been  otherwise, 
and  the  apothecary  who  had  attended  him  had 
suspicions  of  hydrothorax.  There  was  a  swelling 
in  the  abdomen,  which  was  very  painful  to  him. 
This  proved  to  be  a  cancerous  tumour  of  the  whole 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  21 

of  the  omentum,  which,  being  very  heavy,  when 
he  attempted  to  get  up  gave  him  the  pain  men- 
tioned before." 

"Mr.  Cruickshank  said  that  he  saw  a  case  of 
hydrothorax  where  there  was  no  pulsation  to  be 
felt,  either  in  the  carotids,  or  in  the  arteries  at  the 
wrist,  or  in  the  groin,  nor  could  any  motion  be 
perceived  at  the  part  where  the  heart  is  usually 
felt  pulsating ;  and  the  patient  continued  in  this 
state  for  two  months." 

Dr.  Physick  continued  to  prosecute  his  studies 
with  the  most  exemplary  perseverance  and  indus- 
try, under  the  immediate  superintendance  of  Mr. 
Hunter,  throughout  the  year  1789.  On  the  first 
of  January,  1790,  he  was  appointed  House  Sur- 
geon to  St.  George's  Hospital  for  one  year,  which 
is  the  usual  period  of  that  service  in  the  institu- 
tion. This  appointment  he  owed  exclusively  to 
the  patronage  and  influence  of  Mr.  Hunter.  The 
advantages  offered  by  such  a  situation  to  the  stu- 
dent of  medicine,  in  the  way  of  promoting  and 
facilitating  his  acquisition  of  practical  knowledge 
and  skill,  were  of  the  most  important  character ; 
and  consequently  they  were  much  too  well  known 
and  appreciated  not  to  cause  the  place  to  be  sought 
after  by  numerous  applicants,  most  of  wiiom,  from 
the  circumstance  of  their  English  birth  alone,  it 
might  be  supposed,  could  have  exerted  an  influ- 


22  A  MEMOIR 

ence  more  powerful  than  that  of  a  foreigner. 
Here  were  exemplified  in  the  most  happy  manner, 
the  important  advantages  which  Dr.  Physick  de- 
rived from  the  favourable  impressions  which  Mr. 
Hunter  had  imbibed  respecting  his  general  worth, 
his  talents,  and  his  acquirements.  These  considera- 
tions induced  him  unhesitatingly  to  exert  the 
whole  of  his  influence  in  behalf  of  Dr.  Physick, 
who  accordingly  succeeded  over  all  his  competi- 
tors. A  few  months  after  this  period,  Dr.  Phy- 
sick had  an  attack  of  indisposition,  which  was  of 
so  severe  a  character  that  Mr.  Hunter  became 
very  uneasy  and  alarmed  about  him,  and  was  on 
the  eve  of  insisting  upon  his  return  to  America. 
This  attack,  I  have  no  doubt,  was  principally  ow- 
ing to  the  laborious  life  which  he  led,  and  the 
close  confinement  to  which  he  subjected  himself. 
Providence,  however,  for  its  own  wise  and  benefi- 
cent purposes,  thought  proper  to  restore  him  to 
health,  to  the  great  delight  and  gratitude  of  his 
parents  and  friends. 

That  it  was  during  the  period  of  his  remaining 
in  St.  George's  Hospital  that  Dr.  Physick  acquired 
a  vast  deal  of  that  surgical  skill  and  dexterity 
which  laid  the  foundation  of  his  subsequent  great- 
ness, cannot,  I  think,  for  a  moment  be  questioned. 
Having  his  whole  time  occupied  in  administering 
to  the  wants  of  such  unhappy  objects  as  were  suf- 


OF  DR.  PIJYSICK.  23 

fering  from  the  effects  of  accidents  or  disease; 
being  constantly  engaged  in  applying  the  necessary 
bandages  and  dressings  to  fractured  bones,  disloca- 
tions, wounds,  and  injuries  of  every  description, 
and  seizing  hold,  as  was  his  invariable  custom,  of 
every  such  opportunity  and  occasion  of  making 
himself  minutely  acquainted  with  the  best  and 
most  perfect  manner  of  performing  these  services, 
he  soon  became  remarkably  expert  in  all  his  mani- 
pulations, and  acquired  a  degree  of  experience 
which  increased  greatly  his  stock  of  practical 
knowledge.  I  think  it  will  probably  not  be  denied, 
that  Dr.  Physick  exhibited  as  great  a  degree  of 
neatness  and  dexterity  in  the  application  of  ban- 
dages and  dressings  as  any  other  surgeon  who  ever 
lived. 

During  the  period  of  his  services  in  this  insti- 
tution, he  learned  also  the  manner  of  constructing 
and  contriving  several  kinds  of  instruments  and 
apparatus,  which  he  subsequently  was  the  first  to 
introduce  into  this  country,  to  the  great  benefit  of 
our  art. 

An  anecdote  frequently  related  to  me  by  Dr. 
Physick,  connected  with  his  early  appointment  to 
St.  George's  Hospital,  I  trust  I  may  be  pardoned 
for  mentioning  here,  notwithstanding  it  has  already 
been  promulgated  from  another  source.  His  success 
in  obtaining  this  situation  caused  some  slight  de- 


24  A  MEMOIR 

gree  of  dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of  some  of  the 
disappointed  applicants,  who  conceived  that  their 
claims  for  the  situation  were  stronger  than  his. 
In  consequence  of  this  Dr.  Physick  clearly  per- 
ceived that  they  evinced  an  uncommon  share  of 
curiosity  respecting  the  manner  in  which  he  dis- 
charged his  duties,  and  that  they  were  disposed  to 
scrutinise  his  actions  with  the  greatest  strictness. 
A  short  period  after  commencing  his  services,  a 
patient  was  admitted  into  the  hospital  who  had 
had  the  misfortune  to  dislocate  his  shoulder ;  the 
head  of  the  humerus  was  thrown  downward,  and 
lodged  in  the  axilla.  Fortunately  the  accident 
was  quite  recent.  It  so  happened  that  at  the 
time  the  man  was  admitted  the  whole  class  were 
in  attendance  at  the  house.  They,  of  course, 
were  exceedingly  anxious  to  witness  the  manner 
in  which  the  reduction  would  be  effected,  and 
Dr.  Physick  was  perfectly  well  aware  that  his 
method  of  restoring  the  bone  to  its  natural  situa- 
tion would  be  subjected  to  severe  criticism.  He 
directed  the  patient  to  be  seated  upon  a  high 
chair;  he  then  proceeded  to  examine  the  injured 
shoulder  very  particularly,  and  questioned  the  man 
as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  accident  had  oc- 
curred. Whilst  making  these  inquiries  he  placed 
his  left  hand  in  the  axilla,  and  taking  hold  of  the 
lower  end  of  the  humerus  wTith  his  right  hand,  he 


OP  DR.  PHYSICK.  25 

made  all  the  extension  in  his  power;  he  then 
suddenly  depressed  the  elhow  of  the  patient  to 
the  side  of  his  body,  and  in  so  doing,  dislodged 
the  head  of  the  bone,  which  glided  instantaneously 
into  the  glenoid  cavity,  very  much  to  his  own 
delight,  and  doubtless  also  to  the  perfect  satisfac- 
tion of  the  class. 

In  relating  this  incident  Dr.  Physick  never 
seemed  disposed  to  assume  .to  himself  much  merit 
for  effecting  such  a  speedy  reduction ;  he  rather 
wished  to  communicate  the  impression  that  his 
success  was  in  great  degree  owing  to  all  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  case  favouring  an  easy  reduc- 
tion. I  was  always  of  the  opinion,  however,  that 
his  characteristic  modesty  induced  him  to  under- 
rate his  services;  and  that  his  success  in  reducing 
the  dislocation  so  speedily,  unaided,  was  princi- 
pally owing  to  that  unrivalled  address  and  dex- 
terity of  which  he  subsequently  proved  himself 
to  be  so  completely  a  master.  The  treatment  of 
this  case  produced  the  most  happy  influence  in 
promoting  the  interests  and  comfort  of  the  Doctor 
during  the  remainder  of  his  stay  in  the  hospital. 
He  stated  that  from  that  time  forward  he  always 
enjoyed  the  uninterrupted  regard  and  respect  of 
the  medical  class. 

In  January,  1791,  the  period  for  which  he  had 
been  elected  to  St.  George's  Hospital  having  ex- 
4 


26  A  MEMOIR 

pired,  he  quitted  the  institution,  carrying  with 
him  the  warmest  testimonials  from  its  proper 
authorities,  of  his  most  excellent  medical  qualifi- 
cations, and  also  of  his  general  good  conduct. 
They  went  so  far  as  to  declare,  that  instead  of 
considering  him  to  lie  under  any  ohligations  to 
the  institution,  they  considered  the  institution  in- 
debted to  him  for  the  many  benefits  he  had  con- 
ferred upon  its  unhappy  inmates,  and  for  the 
useful  results  which  had  been  produced  by  the 
employment  of  his  singular  zeal  and  abilities. 
He  now  received  his  diploma  from  the  Royal  Col- 
lege of  Surgeons  in  London. 

Soon  after  leaving  St.  George's  Hospital,  Dr. 
Physick  received  from  Mr.  Hunter  a  mark  of  his 
respect  and  esteem,  which  was  gratifying  to  him 
in  the  highest  degree,  and  more  particularly  so  as 
it  furnished  the  most  conclusive  evidence  of  Mr. 
Hunter's  entire  confidence  in  his  professional  skill 
and  attainments.  Mr.  Hunter  invited  him  to 
take  up  his  residence  with  him,  to  become  an 
inmate  of  his  house,  and  to  assist  him  in  his  pro- 
fessional business ;  he  also  held  out  inducements 
to  him  to  establish  himself  permanently  in  Lon- 
don, and  to  pursue  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  that  city. 

.Notwithstanding  the  tempting  nature  of  these 
offers,  and  the  great  advantages  which  Dr.  Phy- 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  27 

sick  might  have  derived  from  accepting  them,  it 
did  not  comport  with  either  his  own  designs,  or 
those  of  his  father,  that  he  should  exile  himself 
from  his  native  country.  He,  however,  gratefully 
accepted  Mr.  Hunter's  offer  to  reside  with  him 
until  the  period  should  arrive  when,  in  accordance 
with  the  plan  previously  laid  down  for  the  com- 
pletion of  his  medical  education,  he  was  to  visit 
Edinburgh,  in  order  to  graduate  in  medicine  in 
the  University  of  that  city.  In  conformity  with 
this  arrangement  he  remained  with  Mr.  Hunter, 
and  rendered  him  every  aid  and  assistance  in  his 
power,  not  only  in  his  professional  business,  but 
also  in  the  prosecution  of  his  physiological  experi- 
ments, and  the  making  of  anatomical  preparations, 
until  May,  1791,  when  he  took  his  final  leave  of 
London.  I  may  notice  that  his  father  had,  pre- 
viously to  this  period,  returned  to  America. 

The  parting  between  Mr.  Hunter  and  Dr. 
Physick  was  painful  to  the  latter  to  an  extreme 
degree,  and  certainly  the  most  distressing  event 
which  occurred  to  him  during  his  stay  in  London. 
The  ties  which  bound  him  to  Mr.  Hunter  were 
of  no  ordinary  description.  Mr.  Hunter  had  not 
only  extended  towards  him  the  warmest  friend- 
ship and  regard,  but  had  also  conferred  the  most 
invaluable  benefits  upon  him,  by  giving  him  the 
advantages  of  his  powerful  aid  and  influence,  and 


28  A  MEMOIR 

by  promoting,  by  all  the  means  in  his  power,  his 
medical  researches.  These  obligations  could  only 
be  acknowledged  on  the  part  of  Dr.  Physick,  by 
the  most  sincere  and  ardent  devotion  to  his  beloved 
preceptor.  Indeed,  I  think  I  am  warranted  in  say- 
ing, that  the  admiration  felt  for  Mr.  John  Hunter 
by  Dr.  Physick  amounted  to  a  species  of  venera- 
tion. Certain  it  is,  that  he  never  ceased  to  consider 
him  as  the  greatest  man  that  ever  adorned  the 
medical  profession.  Could  his  honoured  master 
have  been  permitted  to  witness  the  closing  career 
of  his  pupil,  he  would  have  felt  himself  amply 
recompensed  by  the  rich  harvest  of  fame  and  use- 
fulness which  the  latter  had  gathered,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  valuable  aid  and  instructions. 

Immediately  after  his  arrival  in  Edinburgh,  Dr. 
Physick  entered  with  his  usual  ardour  upon  the 
prosecution  of  his  studies.  He  attended  very  dili- 
gently the  medical  lectures  delivered  in  the  Uni- 
versity, besides  which  he  visited  constantly  the 
Royal  Infirmary,  and  was  a  careful  observer  of  the 
practice  pursued  in  that  institution,  and  witnessed 
all  the  operations  which  were  there  performed. 
In  May,  1792,  having  complied  with  all  the  requi- 
sitions demanded  by  the  University,  he  obtained 
the  degree  of  M.  D.  The  subject  of  his  thesis 
was  apoplexy;  and  in  compliance  with  the  esta- 
blished regulations  he  was  obliged  to  write  it  in 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  29 

the  Latin  language.  The  original  manuscript 
copy  of  this  essay,  which  he  first  wrote  in  English, 
is  now  in  my  possession,  and  it  bears  the  most 
satisfactory  evidence  of  having  been  prepared  with 
a  vast  deal  of  careful  attention.  It  is  divided  into 
distinct  chapters,  and  contains  particular  memo- 
randa of  the  several  authors  to  whom  he  wished 
to  refer. 

In  order  to  show  the  familiar  knowledge  of  the 
Latin  language  which  Dr.  Physick  possessed,  I 
may  relate  the  following  anecdote.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  examinations  for  a  medical  degree 
in  Edinburgh  are  conducted  in  Latin;  and  that 
there  are  many  applicants  for  the  honour  who  do 
not  possess  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  that  language 
to  enable  them  adequately  to  make  replies  from 
their  own  resources.  In  order  to  obviate  this 
deficiency,  there  existed  in  Edinburgh  a  class  of 
men  termed  grinders,  whose  occupation  consisted 
in  preparing  students,  by  a  system  of  drilling 
which  should  render  them  competent  to  reply  to 
such  questions  as  in  all  probability  they  would 
receive.  It  so  happened  that,  a  short  time  pre- 
vious to  the  examinations,  Dr.  Physick  was  in 
company  with  a  fellow-student  from  this  city,  and 
in  reply  to  some  allusion  made  by  his  companion 
to  these  grinders,  the  Doctor  stated  that  he  should 
not  seek  their  aid,  but  that  he  was  determined  to 


30  A  MEMOIR 

rely  upon  his  own  knowledge  of  the  language  to 
carry  him  safely  through.  His  companion  ex- 
pressed much  surprise  at  this  statement,  seeming 
to  consider  it  as  a  vain  boast  on  the  part  of  Dr. 
Physick;  and  he  intimated  his  doubts  of  the 
Doctor's  capabilities  very  clearly  by  the  query: 
Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  possess  a  sufficient 
knowledge  of  the  Latin  to  enable  you  to  carry 
on  a  conversation  in  that  language?  Dr.  Physick 
satisfied  him  completely,  by  instantly  addressing 
him  in  Latin,  and  continuing  for  some  time  to 
reply  to  him  in  the  same  tongue.  The  infer- 
ence to  be  drawn  is,  that  his  companion  was  in 
all  probability  at  that  very  time  under  the  tuition 
of  a  grinder. 

Dr.  Physick  did  not  leave  Edinburgh  imme- 
diately after  obtaining  his  honorary  title :  he  re- 
mained there  for  a  short  period ;  and  the  manner 
in  which  he  occupied  himself  may  be  fairly  illus- 
trated by  the  following  extract,  which  I  take  from 
his  note  book. 

"June,  1792. — Prepared  for  the  house  surgeon 
at  the  Royal  Infirmary,  Edinburgh,  an  intussus- 
ceptio,  in  which  the  ileum  had  passed  into  the 
colon,  and  at  last  dragged  down  six  inches  of  the 
colon.  Most  probably  there  was  a  stricture  form- 
ed about  the  termination  of  the  ileum,  near  to 
the  valve,  as  there  were  strictures  in  other  parts 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  31 

of  the  intestines.  At  present  a  stricture  of  the 
ileum  at  this  part  certainly  exists,  hut  whether 
that  did  not  arise  from  the  hinding  of  the  inverted 
colon,  and  the  inflammation  consequent  thereon, 
I  cannot  he  sure.  I  was  not  present  at  the  dis- 
section of  the  body,  and  the  person  who  took  out 
the  parts  tore  them  very  much." 

Dr.  Physick  returned  to  his  native  country  in 
September,  1792;  and  commenced  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  Philadelphia.  His  office  was 
situated  in  Mulherry  Street  near  Third.  That 
Dr.  Physick  entered  upon  his  practical  career  un- 
der the  most  favourable  circumstances  will,  I 
think,  he  readily  admitted.  I  have  already  shown 
that,  in  addition  to  his  own  extraordinary  qualifica- 
tions, he  had  enjoyed  the  most  ample  opportunities 
of  acquiring  knowledge  from  sources  distinguished 
alike  for  their  exalted  character  and  superior  excel- 
lence. Nature  also  rendered  her  best  aid  for  fit- 
ting him  pre-eminently,  by  all  external  advantages, 
for  the  successful  accomplishment  of  his  objects. 
His  personal  appearance  was  commanding  in  the 
extreme.  He  was  of  a  medium  height ;  his  coun- 
tenance was  noble  and  expressive ;  he  had  a  large 
Roman  nose;  his  mouth  was  beautifully  formed, 
the  lips  somewhat  thin,  and  he  had  a  high  fore- 
head, and  a  fine  hazel  eye,  which  was  keen  and 
penetrating.  The  expression  of  his  countenance 


32  A  MEMOIR 

was  grave  and  dignified,  yet  often  inclined  to  me- 
lancholy, more  especially  when  he  was  engaged  in 
deep  thought,  or  in  performing  an  important  and 
critical  operation.  Dr.  Physick  rarely  indulged 
in  excessive  mirth ;  he  was,  however,  far  from  be- 
ing insensible  to  playful  humour,  and  on  such  oc- 
casions his  countenance  would  be  lighted  up  by  a 
benign  smile,  which  altered  entirely  the  whole  ex- 
pression of  his  features.  His  manners  and  address 
were  exceedingly  dignified,  yet  polished  and  affable 
in  the  extreme;  and  when  he  was  engaged  in 
attendance  upon  a  critical  case,  or  in  a  surgical 
operation,  there  was  a  degree  of  tenderness,  and  at 
the  same  time  a  confidence,  in  his  manner,  which 
could  not  fail  to  sooth  the  feelings  and  allay  the 
fears  of  the  most  timid  and  sensitive. 

The  introduction  of  a  young  practitioner  of 
medicine  to  the  notice  of  the  community,  is  pro- 
verbially slow;  and  not  unfrequently,  before  he  can 
inspire  a  sufficient  degree  of  confidence  to  lead  to 
his  employment,  a  length  of  time  is  requisite 
which,  in  some  instances,  produces  bitter  disap- 
pointment, and  occasionally  even  utter  hopeless- 
ness and  despair.  As  might  have  been  anticipated 
there  were  but  few  professional  calls  made  upon 
Dr.  Physick  during  the  period  of  the  first  year 
after  he  had  established  himself  in  this  city ;  and 
it  is  highly  probable  that,  notwithstanding  all  the 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  33 

advantages  of  which  he  could  boast,  he  would 
have  been  obliged  to  exercise  an  enduring  degree 
of  patience  for  a  considerably  longer  period,  were 
it  not  that  in  the  summer  of  1793,  Philadelphia 
had  the  misfortune  to  be  visited  with  that  awful 
calamity,  the  yellow  fever.  It  is  not  necessary  in 
this  place  to  give  an  account  of  the  destructive 
ravages  caused  by  this  epidemic.  The  most  ample 
and  detailed  description  of  the  origin  and  progress 
of  the  yellow  fever,  with  all  its  concomitant  cir- 
cumstances, has  been  furnished  from  the  very 
highest  source — by  one  of  the  brightest  luminaries 
of  the  age ;  one  who  was  a  most  prominent  and 
efficient  actor  in  the  tragical  scene;  one  whose 
disinterested  patriotism,  brilliant  imagination  and 
splendid  acquirements  endeared  him  to  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen,  and  one  also  who  invariably 
evinced  himself  the  warm  and  constant  friend  of 
Dr.  Physick.  Need  I  add  the  name  of  Dr.  Benja- 
min Rush  ? 

The  occurrence  of  the  yellow  fever  afforded  to 
Dr.  Physick  his  first  opportunity  of  proving  to  his 
fellow  citizens  his  entire  devotion  to  his  profes- 
sional pursuits,  his  utter  disregard  of  all  personal 
considerations  which  might  interfere  with  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties,  and  the  fearless  intrepidity 
with  which  he  exposed  himself  to  danger,  in  order 
to  contribute  to  the  safety  of  others.  As  a  means 
5 


34  A  MEMOIR 

of  preventing  an  extension  of  the  disorder  by  re- 
moving, as  far  as  possible,  from  overcrowded  situa- 
tions such  as  were  attacked  by  it,  and  in  order  also 
to  afford  an  asylum  and  the  most  efficient  treat- 
ment to  such  as  were  destitute,  the  Board  of 
Health,  in  August,  1793,  established  the  yellow 
fever  hospital  at  Bush  Hill,  and  Dr.  Physick  hav- 
ing offered  his  services,  was  elected  by  them  phy- 
sician to  the  institution.  He  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  the  performance  of  his  duties  with  the 
most  singular  ardour  and  ability ;  and  during  the 
time  he  remained  in  the  hospital  rendered  services 
which  were  acknowledged  to  be  of  the  most  im- 
portant character,  and  which  served  to  secure  to 
himself  the  approbation  and  esteem  of  the  com- 
munity at  large.  Dr.  Physick  did  not  himself 
escape  without  an  attack  of  the  fever.  It  however 
yielded  to  the  treatment  employed,  although  I 
heard  him  declare  but  a  short  time  previous  to  his 
death,  that  he  did  not  think  his  constitution  had 
ever  completely  recovered  from  the  shock  which 
it  then  received. 

During  a  period  of  such  general  distress  history 
has  at  all  times  shown  that  the  minds  of  the  people 
are  very  apt  to  become  excited  and  inflamed ;  and 
some  threatening  indications  of  riotous  conduct 
having  been  exhibited  whilst  Dr.  Physick  was 
serving  in  the  Bush  Hill  hospital,  he  was  created 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  35 

an  alderman  by  the  Governor  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  him  to 
quell  them. 

The  notoriety  which  Dr.  Physick  obtained, 
together  with  the  favourable  impression  which  he 
produced  during  his  residence  in  the  hospital,  en- 
abled him  to  form  associations  which  subsequently 
proved  of  immense  benefit  to  him  in  promoting  his 
professional  success.  Among  others,  I  may  men- 
tion that  our  late  fellow  citizen,  Stephen  Girard, 
who  was  at  that  melancholy  epoch  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Health,  and  who  rendered  the  most 
important  services  throughout  the  epidemic,  in 
alleviating  the  miseries  and  providing  for  the 
wants  of  the  unhappy  sufferers,  conceived  a  last- 
ing friendship  for  him.  Stephen  Girard  subse- 
quently became  distinguished  for  the  acquisition 
of  immense  wealth,  far  beyond  that  of  any  other 
person  in  our  city.  Whilst  living,  he  performed 
many  acts  of  benevolence  and  charity,  and  in  dy- 
ing he  made  a  bequest  which  will  cause  his  name 
to  be  transmitted  to  the  latest  posterity.  The  ser- 
vices, however,  rendered  by  Stephen  Girard,  dur- 
ing the  prevalence  of  the  yellow  fever,  should 
never  be  forgotten ;  services  which  went  to  solace 
the  woes  of  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  and  which 
form  a  still  higher  claim  to  the  veneration  of  his 
countrymen. 


36  A  MEMOIR 

Mr.  Girard  was  well  known  to  have  been  a 
man  of  very  eccentric  habits  and  strong  prejudices. 
One  of  his  peculiarities  consisted  in  a  general  dis- 
like of  physicians.  I  always  felt  assured  that  this 
prejudice  was  founded  upon  his  ignorance,  and  a 
vain  belief  that  he  knew  as  well  from  his  own 
experience  how  to  treat  diseases,  as  most  men  who 
were  regularly  educated  to  the  profession.  He, 
however,  made  a  few  exceptions ;  and  one  of  these 
was  Dr.  Physick,  to  whom  he  always  resorted  for 
medical  advice  and  assistance,  whenever  he  deemed 
the  case  critical,  as  long  as  he  lived.  Mr.  Girard 
finally  died  a  victim  to  his  prejudices:  he  was 
attacked  with  an  inflammation  of  his  chest,  and 
would  not  consent  to  lose  blood  until  it  became 
too  late. 

Dr.  Physick,  I  believe,  was  the  first  to  promul- 
gate the  doctrine,  which  he  founded  upon  his  own 
observations,  that  the  yellow  fever  was  not  conta- 
gious; he  also  fully  coincided  with  Dr.  Rush  in 
the  opinion  that  it  was  of  domestic  origin.  Dr. 
Rush  at  first  dissented  from  the  doctrine  of  the 
non-contagious  character  of  yellow  fever,  but  sub- 
sequently became  convinced  of  its  truth  and  im- 
portance. During  the  prevalence  of  the  epidemic, 
Dr.  Physick,  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Cathrall, 
made  a  series  of  post  mortem  examinations  and 
dissections,  which  were  productive  of  the  most 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  37 

important  results ;  inasmuch  as  they  went  far,  not 
only  in  elucidating  the  true  nature  of  the  disorder, 
but  also  in  pointing  out  the  best  method  of  treat- 
ment. These  dissections  proved,  in  the  most  satis- 
factory manner,  that  the  complaint  possessed  a 
highly  inflammatory  character,  and  that  the  sto- 
mach more  particularly  was  the  seat  of  great  in- 
flammation. They  also  established  the  most  valu- 
able therapeutic  indications,  by  confirming  conclu- 
sively the  superiority  of  the  antiphlogistic  method 
of  treatment,  over  that  of  an  opposite  character, 
which  had  generally  been  employed.  It  is  quite 
apparent,  from  this  notice  of  Dr.  Physick's  dissec- 
tions of  persons  who  had  died  of  yellow  fever,  that 
he  preceded  the  celebrated  Broussais  in  pointing 
out  the  intimate  relations  which  subsist  between 
the  condition  of  the  stomach  and  the  production 
of  bilious  and  yellow  fevers.  It  is  well  known, 
that  as  far  back  as  the  period  to  which  we  are 
alluding,  Dr.  Physick  pronounced  yellow  fever  to 
be  gastritis ;  and  he  was  so  much  influenced  by 
his  opinions  of  the  necessity  of  avoiding  all  causes 
which  could  prolong  or  excite  the  gastric  irritation 
that  in  one  instance  he  ascribed  the  death  of  a 
patient  labouring  under  this  malady,  to  a  relapse 
produced  by  swallowing  a  small  quantity  of  chick- 
en water. 

After  leaving  the  hospital  he  removed  to  the 


38  A  MEMOIR 

city  and  gave  his  undivided  attention  to  his  pro- 
fessional engagements.  In  the  year  1794,  Dr. 
Physick  was  elected,  by  the  managers  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Hospital,  one  of  the  surgeons  to  that  insti- 
tution. This  period  may  be  stated  to  be  the  dawn 
of  his  great  surgical  fame  and  usefulness.  The 
reputation  sustained  by  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital 
for  a  long  series  of  years,  not  only  on  account  of 
the  amount  of  benefits  which  it  has  conferred,  but 
also  on  account  of  its  excellent  administration,  are 
so  well  known  as  to  render  superfluous  any  enco- 
miastic notice  of  it  on  my  part.  That  Dr.  Phy- 
sick contributed  largely  to  the  support  of  its  cha- 
racter and  reputation,  can  be  readily  shown  by  a 
record  of  his  services.  It  must  be  admitted,  how- 
ever, that  his  appointment  to  the  hospital  had  a 
considerable  influence  in  promoting  his  success, 
and  leading  to  an  extension  of  his  business.  The 
situation  enabled  him  to  add  greatly  to  his  stock 
of  experience,  and  he  also  enjoyed  from  it  the 
most  ample  opportunities  of  perfecting  himself  in 
the  operative  department  of  his  profession.  I 
have  already  stated  that  in  his  manual  procedures 
he  exhibited  the  utmost  degree  of  neatness  and 
dexterity.  Dr.  Physick  possessed  pre-eminently 
all  the  qualifications  requisite  for  a  bold  and  suc- 
cessful operator.  His  sight  was  remarkably  keen 
and  good  ;  his  nerves,  when  braced  for  an  opera- 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  39 

tion,  were  firm  and  immovable;  his  judgment 
was  clear  and  comprehensive,  and  his  resolutions 
once  formed,  were  rarely  swerved  from.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  he  owed  much  to  his  thoughtful  and 
contemplative  cast  of  character,  which  induced 
him  to  deliberate  and  reflect  intensely  upon  all 
the  circumstances  of  his  case,  and  to  make  elabo- 
rately beforehand  every  preparation  which  might 
become  needful  in  the  performance  of  his  task. 

In  order  to  appreciate  fully  and  correctly  the 
amount  of  contribution,  made  by  Dr.  Physick  to 
the  department  of  surgery,  it  is  important  to  keep 
in  view  what  was  the  imperfect  condition  of  the 
art  in  this  country,  at  the  period  of  his  com- 
mencing his  professional  career.  It  is  well  known 
that  the  principles  of  science  which  should  govern 
the  treatment  of  many  disorders  were  in  that  day 
very  imperfectly  understood.  It  is  true  that  there 
were  some  members  of  the  profession,  endowed 
with  great  merits  and  learning,  who  devoted  them- 
selves especially  to  the  cultivation  of  surgery. 
These  gentlemen  were  quite  competent  to  the  per- 
formance of  what  were  then  considered  the  capi- 
tal operations  in  surgery ;  still  it  must  be  confessed 
that  not  any  one  of  them  ever  acquired  the  neces- 
sary degree  of  skill  and  pre-eminence  to  create  an 
unlimited  confidence  in  his  abilities.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  there  was  no  head,  no  rallying  point 


40  A  MEMOIR 

to  surgery,  an  appeal  to  which,  when  once  made, 
should  he  regarded  as  decisive.  We  cannot  feel 
surprised  at  the  comparatively  insignificant  posi- 
tion which  the  science  of  surgery  then  held,  when 
we  reflect  that,  prior  to  the  appointment  of  Dr. 
Physick,  surgery  was  not  taught  in  this  city  as  a 
separate  and  distinct  department.  The  professor- 
ships of  anatomy  and  surgery  were  combined  in 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  duty  of 
teaching  hoth  hranches  devolved  upon  one  indi- 
vidual. Under  these  circumstances  it  would  have 
been  extremely  unreasonable  to  expect  an  efficient 
course  of  instruction  when  it  is  well  known  that 
the  usual  period  allotted  to  a  course  of  lectures 
upon  either  department,  as  now  separated,  is  con- 
fessedly too  limited. 

Soon  after  Dr.  Physick's  appointment  to  the 
Pennsylvania  Hospital,  his  mind  became  consider- 
ably engaged  in  the  consideration  of  a  class  of  dis- 
orders of  which  that  institution  then  had,  and 
continues  to  have  at  the  present  time,  its  full  pro- 
portion, namely,  ulcers.  It  is  undeniable  that  the 
treatment  of  these  affections  was  in  that  day  but 
little  understood  by  our  surgeons.  The  method  of 
cure  which  they  resorted  to  was  for  the  most  part 
exclusively  empirical.  They  were  not  generally 
guided  by  correct  scientific  principles.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  the  treatment  of  ulcers  was  no- 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  41 

toriously  unsuccessful;  and  I  am  sorry  to  say,  that 
there  are  good  reasons  for  believing  that  limbs 
affected  with  ulcers  were  not  unfrequently  ampu- 
tated, owing  to  their  ignorance  and  inability  to 
accomplish  a  cure,  which,  under  different  circum- 
stances, by  means  of  judicious  and  skilful  treat- 
ment, might  have  been  completely  restored. 

Dr.  Physick  devoted  himself  in  an  especial 
manner  to  ameliorating  the  condition  of  this  class 
of  the  patients.  He  laboured  most  assiduously  in 
establishing  a  more  correct  and  efficient  method  of 
treatment ;  and  in  a  short  time  the  results  of  his 
practice  were  so  evidently  successful  as  to  add  not 
a  little  to  his  rising  fame  and  greatness.  I  have 
been  told  that  at  a  very  limited  period  after  com- 
mencing his  services,  he  had  almost  entirely  cleared 
the  wards  of  the  patients  affected  with  ulcers. 
His  method  of  treatment  in  cases  of  inflamed  and 
irritable  ulcers  was  exceedingly  simple.  He  di- 
rected the  patient  to  be  confined  to  bed,  and  to  be 
kept  strictly  at  rest;  and  in  cases  where  the  ulcer 
was  situated  upon  a  lower  extremity,  he  caused 
the  limb  to  be  considerably  elevated.  He  next 
directed  that  mild  and  soothing  applications  should 
be  made  to  the  ulcer  itself;  arid  in  conjunction  with 
this  he  made  use  of  proper  constitutional  treatment. 
In  cases  where  the  ulcer  partook  of  an  indolent 
nature,  he  always  preferred  effecting  the  necessary 
6 


42  A  MEMOIR 

stimulation  by  means  of  local  applications,  whilst 
the  patient  was  confined  to  bed,  to  permitting  him 
to  walk  about,  as  sometimes  recommended. 

During  the  period  of  Dr.  Physick's  services  in 
the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  he  made  several  valu- 
able modifications  and  improvements  in  the  treat- 
ment of  fractures.  Without  entering  minutely 
into  the  consideration  of  these,  I  may  refer  to  his 
modification  of  the  celebrated  Desault's  apparatus 
for  the  treatment  of  fractures  of  the  thigh.  By 
increasing  the  length  of  Desault's  splint,  Dr.  Phy- 
sick  has  accomplished  a  most  important  object,  in 
causing  the  counter-extension  to  be  made  more 
completely  in  the  direction  of  the  axis  of  the  limb, 
and  also  in  keeping  the  patient  more  strictly  at 
rest.  This  apparatus  of  Desault,  thus  modified 
by  Dr.  Physick,  and  with  the  block  attached  to 
the  lower  extremity  of  the  splint  by  Dr.  Hutchin- 
son,  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  extension  in 
the  direction  of  the  limb,  has  been  used  in  the 
Hospital  for  a  long  series  of  years,  with  the  hap- 
piest results.  Dr.  Physick  never  ceased  to  regard 
it  as  the  most  complete  and  successful  method  of 
treating  fractures  of  the  thigh  ever  invented. 

Fractures  of  the  humerus  occurring  at  or  near 
the  condyles,  are  exceedingly  apt  to  be  followed  by 
a  very  unpleasant  projection  of  the  elbow.  In  some 
instances  the  deformity  is  so  great  as  to  give  rise 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  43 

to  most  disagreeable  consequences,  more  especially 
in  case  the  accident  should  happen  to  a  young 
female.  To  Dr.  Physick  is  due  the  credit  of 
having  invented  a  method  of  treatment  which  has 
succeeded  in  many  instances  in  effecting  a  com- 
plete cure,  without  the  occurrence  of  any  de- 
formity. This  treatment  consists  in  applying  to 
the  injured  limb  two  angular  splints,  which  should 
extend  from  near  the  shoulder  down  to  the  ex- 
tremities of  the  fingers.  In  addition  to  this  he 
directs  the  patient  to  be  kept  in  bed,  "with  the 
arm  flexed  at  the  elbow,  and  lying  on  its  out- 
side with  the  angular  splints,  supported  by  a  pil- 
low." 

In  cases  of  fracture  of  the  lower  end  of  the 
fibula,  where  the  accident  is  accompanied  with 
dislocation  of  the  foot  outward,  Dr.  Physick  was 
in  the  habit,  many  years  since,  of  treating  the 
fracture  upon  a  plan  precisely  similar  to  that  re- 
commended by  Baron  Dupuytren.  To  which  of 
these  gentlemen  is  due  the  priority  of  the  inven- 
tion, I  am  unable  to  say. 

In  the  treatment  of  dislocations,  the  highest 
commendation  is  due  to  Dr.  Physick,  for  being 
the  first  to  carry  into  full  effect  a  plan  of  treatment 
which,  although  originally  suggested  by  Doctor 
Alexander  Munro,  of  Edinburgh,  was  never  put 
into  execution,  as  far  as  wre  can  learn,  prior  to  its 


44  A  MEMOIR 

employment  by  Dr.  Physick.  I  allude  to  the  use 
of  copious  blood-letting,  carried,  when  necessary, 
even  ad  deliquium  animi,  in  order  to  produce  a 
complete  relaxation  of  the  muscular  system,  and 
thereby  facilitate  the  reduction  of  the  dislocated 
bone.  We  are  infinitely  indebted  to  Dr.  Physick 
for  having  directed  our  attention  to  this  method  of 
treatment,  by  means  of  which,  in  very  many 
instances,  old  and  difficult  dislocations  have  been 
reduced,  and  limbs  restored  to  usefulness,  which 
otherwise  would  have  been  irrecoverably  ruined. 

In  the  year  1794,  Dr.  Physick  was  elected  one 
of  the  physicians  to  the  Philadelphia  Dispensary : 
he  visited  the  sick  of  his  particular  district,  and 
performed  his  duties  with  the  strictest  fidelity 
during  the  period  he  held  this  appointment.  He 
subsequently  was  chosen  one  of  the  consulting 
surgeons  to  this  same  institution,  and  retained  the 
situation  till  the  time  of  his  death. 

From  a  reference  to  Dr.  Physick's  papers,  it 
appears,  that  his  professional  engagements  increased 
very  considerably  in  the  year  1795.  About  this 
period,  it  may  be  stated,  that  his  prospects  of 
establishing  himself  successfully  in  practice  be- 
came exceedingly  flattering.  During  the  year 
1795,  he  commenced  keeping  a  journal  of  the 
most  remarkable  and  interesting  cases  which  oc- 
curred in  his  practice,  more  especially  such  as 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  45 

possessed  a  surgical  character.  This  journal  is 
continued  up  to  the  year  1810,  although  in  conse- 
quence of  the  multiplicity  of  his  engagements 
about  this  period,  we  have  to  regret,  the  number 
of  cases  inserted  is  very  considerably  lessened. 
The  first  case  recorded  in  the  note  book,  is  that  of 
a  lady  affected  with  blindness  from  cataract.  In 
this  case,  he  performed  the  operation  of  extraction 
of  the  opaque  crystalline  lens,  with  complete  suc- 
cess, and  restored  his  patient  to  sight. 

I  may  mention  here  that  Dr.  Physick's  favour- 
ite operation  for  cataract  was  that  of  extraction. 
He  gave  it  a  decided  preference  over  all  the  other 
operations,  and  always  performed  it  whenever  the 
condition  of  the  eye  was  suitable.  He  acquired 
such  a  perfect  degree  of  skill  in  extracting  the 
lens,  that  his  operations  were  almost  invariably 
followed  by  success.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
his  operations  upon  the  eye,  in  conjunction  with 
those  for  stone  in  the  bladder,  did  as  much  in  esta- 
blishing Dr.  Physick's  great  surgical  character  as 
any  others  which  he  ever  performed.  Operations 
of  this  nature,  when  successfully  executed  in  that 
day,  were  widely  circulated.  His  first  operation 
of  lithotomy  was  not  performed,  however,  until 
the  year  1797.  He  subsequently  performed  it,  as 
is  well  known,  in  innumerable  instances,  with  the 


46  A  MEMOIR 

most  extraordinary  facility  and  success.  In  per- 
forming his  first  operation  of  lithotomy,  he  acci- 
dentally divided  with  his  gorget  the  internal  pudic 
artery.  The  hemorrhage  from  the  wounded  ves- 
sel was  exceedingly  profuse.  He  immediately 
compressed  the  trunk  of  the  artery  with  the  fore 
finger  of  his  left  hand,  and  then  passed  the  point 
of  a  tenaculum  under  it ;  a  ligature  was  then  cast 
round  it  and  firmly  tied.  This  of  course  arrested 
the  hemorrhage,  but  the  ligature  included  along 
with  the  artery  a  considerable  portion  of  the  ad- 
jacent flesh.  In  order  to  obviate  this  inconve- 
nience Dr.  Physick  subsequently  contrived  his 
celebrated  forceps  and  needle  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  a  ligature  under  the  pudic  artery.  Since 
that  period  this  instrument  has  been  in  general 
use  for  the  purpose  of  securing  deep  seated  ves- 
sels. It  has  twice  been  successfully  employed  in 
performing  the  operation  of  tying  the  external 
iliac  artery ;  in  the  first  instance  by  the  late  la- 
mented Doctor  Dorsey,  a  favourite  nephew  of  Dr. 
Physick's,  and  one  to  whom  he  was  ardently 
attached,  and  in  the  second  instance  by  myself. 
No  higher  commendation  could  be  bestowed  upon 
this  instrument  than  may  be  inferred  from  the 
numerous  modifications  which  have  since  been 
made  of  it.  I  must  be  permitted  to  declare,  that 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  47 

in  my  opinion,  the  original  instrument,  as  designed 
by  Dr.  Physick,  has  never  heen  excelled,  either  in 
point  of  ingenuity  or  utility. 

In  order  to  facilitate  the  division  of  the  pros- 
tate gland  and  neck  of  the  bladder,  in  performing 
the  operation  of  lithotomy  by  means  of  the  gorget, 
Dr.  Physick  suggested  a  valuable  improvement  to 
the  instrument  as  used  by  Mr.  Cline,  which  has 
since  been  almost  universally  employed  in  this 
country,  and  has  received  the  entire  sanction  and 
approbation  of  our  most  distinguished  surgeons. 
A  full  description  of  Dr.  Physick's  gorget  was 
published  in  the  first  volume  of  Coxe's  "Medical 
Museum,"  for  the  year  1804,  by  Mr.  R.  Bishop,  a 
surgeons'  instrument  maker  of  high  repute,  then 
living  in  this  city.  It  is  also  noticed  at  length  in  Dr. 
Dorsey's  "  Elements  of  Surgery."  The  modifica- 
tion consists  in  having  the  gorget  so  constructed, 
that  a  perfectly  keen  edge  may  be  given  to  that 
part  of  the  blade  which  commences  the  incision, 
and  which  is  connected  to  the  beak  of  the  instru- 
ment. For  this  purpose  the  beak  and  blade  are 
separable,  and  so  arranged  that  the  blade  may  be 
connected  to  the  stem  and  firmly  secured  by  a 
screw.  Without  this  arrangement  it  is  exceed- 
ingly difficult  to  impart  a  fine  edge  to  that  part  of 
the  blade  which  is  contiguous  to  the  beak,  and 
inasmuch  as  the  incision  of  the  neck  of  the  blad- 


48  A  MEMOIR 

der  is  commenced  at  that  point,  the  success  of  the 
operation  must  necessarily  be  much  influenced 
by  it. 

During  Dr.  Physick's  attendance  at  the  Penn- 
sylvania Hospital,  in  the  year  1796,  a  case  occurred 
in  which  the  patient,  a  young  man,  had  laboured 
under  a  suppression  of  urine  for  forty-eight  hours. 
The  bladder  was  so  much  distended  that  it  rose 
above  the  umbilicus,  and  the  patient  was  suffering 
intense  agony.  Dr.  Physick  made  repeated  at- 
tempts to  introduce  catheters  of  different  sizes 
into  the  bladder,  in  order  to  draw  off  the  urine, 
but  without  success.  He  next  took  a  bougie  and 
succeeded  in  introducing  it  into  the  bladder,  but 
upon  withdrawing  the  instrument,  no  urine  fol- 
lowed. The  idea  then  struck  him  that  he  might 
fasten  the  point  of  a  bougie  upon  the  extremity 
of  an  elastic  catheter,  so  as  to  conduct  the  catheter 
into  the  bladder  and  allow  the  urine  to  flow 
through  it.  He  immediately  carried  his  plan  into 
execution,  and  succeeded  most  happily  in  com- 
pletely relieving  his  patient.  Since  then  this  me- 
thod has  been  frequently  resorted  to  with  great 
success,  in  cases  where,  owing  to  enlargements  of 
the  prostate  gland,  strictures  of  the  urethra,  and 
other  causes,  the  common  catheter  could  not  be 
passed  into  the  bladder.  Dr.  Physick  communi- 
cated an  account  of  this  case  to  Dr.  Miller,  which 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  49 

is  published  in  the  New  York  Medical  Repository, 
vol.  vii.  p.  35,  together  with  his  method  of  pre- 
paring the  instrument,  and  some  experiments  on 
the  treatment  of  gum  elastic  by  spirit  of  turpen- 
tine and  ether;  describing  also  a  method  of  coating 
catheters  with  gum  elastic.  A  full  description  of 
the  bougie-pointed  catheter  is  also  given  in  Dor- 
sey's  Elements  of  Surgery. 

In  the  treatment  of  strictures  in  the  urethra, 
Dr.  Physick  displayed  the  most  enviable  degree  of 
skill.     It  is  true  that  he  made  the  management  of 
this  disorder  a  very  particular  study,  and  the  tact 
and   dexterity  which  he  exhibited  in  dilating  a 
stricture,  was  sufficient  to  excite  the  warmest  ad- 
miration.    What  department  of  surgery  was  there 
which  was  not  in  some  way  or  other  enriched  by 
his  labours  ?     Among  his  other  contributions,  how- 
ever, let  us  notice  his  invention  of  an  instrument, 
in   the   year  1795,   for   the   purpose   of   cutting 
through  a  stricture  which  had  refused  to  yield  to 
the  ordinary  methods  of  treatment.     This  instru- 
ment consists  in  a  lancet  concealed  in  a  canula, 
which  is  passed  down  to  the  stricture,  and  then 
the  lancet  is  pushed  forward  so  as  to  effect  its 
division.      After  the  stricture  is  cut  through,  a 
catheter  or  bougie  should  be  introduced  arid  worn 
for  some  time,  in  order  to  produce  the  necessary 
permanent  dilatation.     The  success  attending  this 
7 


50  A  MEMOIR 

method  of  treating  strictures,  which  have  resisted 
all  other  attempts  at  dilatation,  has  now  become 
so  completely  familiar,  as  to  entitle  it  to  he 
considered  one  of  the  most  important  and  useful 
operations  in  surgery.  It  should  he  stated  also, 
that  in  some  cases  of  complete  retention  of  urine 
from  stricture  of  the  urethra,  this  method  of  di- 
viding the  stricture  hy  means  of  the  lancet  has 
obviated  the  necessity  of  puncturing  the  bladder 
itself. 

If  I  mistake  not,  Dr.  Physick  was  the  first  who 
pointed  out  to  our  surgeons  the  method  of  con- 
structing the  wraxed  linen  bougie.  He  informed 
me  that  soon  after  his  return  from  Europe  he  was 
engaged  in  attendance  upon  a  patient,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  his  much  esteemed  friend  Dr.  Wistar. 
It  so  happened  that  in  the  treatment  of  this  case 
there  was  occasion  for  a  bougie  of  a  particular  size 
and  shape.  Dr.  Wistar  regretted  very  much  that 
he  did  not  possess  such  an  instrument,  and  he  ex- 
pressed his  doubts  as  to  whether  they  would  be 
able  to  procure  one.  Dr.  Physick  told  him  that 
he  need  not  be  uneasy,  for  that  he  would  furnish 
the  instrument ;  and  accordingly  he  went  to  work 
and  constructed  one  himself  of  the  precise  kind 
which  they  wanted,  to  the  great  surprise  and  grati- 
fication of  Dr.  Wistar. 

I  may  mention  that  in  the  treatment  of  stric- 


OF  DR.   PHYSICK.  51 

tures  of  the  urethra.  Dr.  Physick  invariably  pre- 
ferred using  waxed  linen  bougies  of  his  own  make 
to  either  the  metallic  or  imported  gum  elastic 
bougies.  He  considered  his  own  to  be  much  the 
most  safe  and  valuable.  It  is  proper,  however,  to 
state,  that  the  gum  elastic  bougies  which  were 
imported  into  this  country  in  that  day,  were  of  a 
very  inferior  quality  to  those  which  we  now  have. 
It  is  more  than  probable  that  even  at  the  present 
time  there  are  but  few  surgeons  who  understand 
the  method  of  properly  preparing  the  waxed  linen 
bougies,  or  who  would  take  the  trouble  to  make 
them  even  if  they  were  acquainted  with  the  me- 
thod. I  do  not  hesitate  to  assert,  however,  that 
from  long  practice  and  dexterity,  Dr.  Physick 
acquired  the  art  of  making  a  more  beautiful  and 
perfect  instrument  of  this  kind  than  any  other 
man  living.  A  general  account  of  the  method  of 
preparing  the  waxed  linen  bougies  is  contained  in 
"Dorsey's  Elements  of  Surgery." 

During  the  years  1797,  1798  and  1799,  the 
yellow  fever  again  broke  out  in  our  city,  and  Dr. 
Physick  was  again  found  in  the  foremost  rank  of 
those  who  had  to  contend  against  its  ravages. 
Whilst  engaged  in  the  performance  of  his  duties 
in  the  year  1797,  he  was  attacked  himself  for  the 
second  time,  with  the  fever,  and  his  illness  wTas  so 
severe  that  for  some  time  but  slight  hopes  were 


52  A  MEMOIR 

entertained  of  his  living.  His  recovery  from  this 
indisposition  was  exceedingly  slow,  and  he  was 
left  in  such  an  enfeebled  state  that  he  was  advised 
by  his  medical  friends  to  make  an  excursion  into 
the  country  in  order  to  recruit  his  strength.  He 
accordingly  took  this  opportunity  of  paying  a  visit 
to  his  brother,  who  was  living  upon  a  beautiful 
farm,  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Susquehannah, 
in  Cecil  county,  Maryland.  He  was  somewhat 
amused,  whilst  performing  this  journey,  at  being 
informed  by  an  innkeeper  on  the  road  that  Dr. 
Physick  of  Philadelphia  was  dead.  His  health 
was  greatly  benefitted  during  the  period  of  his 
sojourn  with  his  brother,  and  it  appears  that  he 
conceived  a  warm  attachment  to  the  place ;  inas- 
much as  after  the  death  of  his  brother,  many 
years  subsequently,  he  became  the  purchaser  of 
the  estate,  and  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life 
he  was  accustomed  to  spend  a  part  of  each  of  the 
summers  upon  it. 

During  the  prevalence  of  the  yellow  fever  in 
1798,  Dr.  Physick  was  again  resident  physician  at 
the  Bush  Hill  Hospital ;  and  upon  leaving  the  in- 
stitution after  the  subsidence  of  the  epidemic,  he 
was  presented  in  a  flattering  manner  by  the  board 
of  managers,  with  some  valuable  silver  plate,  as 
an  acknowledgment  of  their  "respectful  approba- 
tion of  his  voluntary  and  inestimable  services." 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  53 

In  the  winter  of  1798,  Dr.  Physick  read  a  pa- 
per before  the  "Academy  of  Medicine  of  Phila- 
delphia," containing  "  Some  Experiments  and  Ob- 
servations on  the  mode  of  operation  of  mercury 
on  the  body."  This  paper  was  subsequently  pub- 
lished in  the  New  York  Medical  Repository,  vol. 
v.  p.  288.  The  result  of  these  experiments  and 
observations  goes  to  disprove  the  opinion  that  the 
different  preparations  of  mercury  produce  their 
effects  on  the  system  in  consequence  of  their  being 
absorbed  and  carried  into  the  blood.  The  experi- 
ments made  by  Dr.  Physick  in  order  to  detect  the 
presence  of  mercury  in  the  blood  and  saliva  of 
patients  undergoing  salivation  from  that  article, 
were  repeated  by  Dr.  Seybert,  but  both  were  un- 
able to  discover  the  presence  of  the  metal. 

I  have  already  stated,  that  in  consequence  of 
the  untiring  zeal  of  Dr.  Physick  in  investigating 
the  nature  and  phenomena  of  the  yellow  fever, 
aided  by  the  ample  opportunities  which  he  enjoyed 
of  prosecuting  his  researches,  he  was  led  to  the 
adoption  of  some  views  which  were  not  only  of  an 
interesting  and  novel  character,  but  such  also  as 
had  a  most  important  bearing  in  elucidating  the 
true  pathology  of  the  disease,  and  in  establishing 
in  consequence  more  correct  therapeutic  indica- 
tions. It  was  after  the  subsidence  of  the  epidemic 
of  1799  that  he  published  in  the  New  York  Medi- 


54  A  MEMOIR 

cal  Repository,  "Some  Observations  on  the  Black 
Vomit."  In  this  communication  he  relates  a 
series  of  careful  and  well  conducted  experiments, 
which  prove  most  conclusively  that  the  matter  of 
black  vomit,  so  far  from  being  poured  out  by  the 
vessels  of  the  liver,  as  was  the  commonly  received 
opinion,  is  produced  by  a  secretion  from  the  in- 
flamed vessels  of  the  stomach  and  intestines. 
These  observations,  showing  that  the  effusion  of 
black  vomit  must  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  modes 
in  which  violent  inflammation  of  the  stomach  has 
a  disposition  to  terminate,  not  only  went  far  in 
destroying  the  preconceived  notions  entertained  by 
many  physicians,  that  the  yellowT  fever  was  a  dis- 
ease of  debility,  and  that  the  black  vomit  was  to 
be  regarded  as  a  putrid  phenomenon,  but  also  con- 
firmed most  satisfactorily  the  propriety  of  the  an- 
tiphlogistic method  of  treatment. 

The  year  1800  formed  a  most  eventful  one  in 
the  life  pf  Dr.  Physick.  During  this  year  he 
formed  a  matrimonial  alliance  with  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Emlen,  a  highly  gifted  and  talented  lady,  and 
daughter  of  one  of  the  most  distinguished  minis- 
ters of  the  Society  of  Friends.  By  this  marriage 
he  had  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
all  of  whom  are  now  living. 

In  the  year  1800,  a  request  was  made  to  Dr. 
Physick  in  writing,  by  a  number  of  gentlemen 


OF  DR.  PKYSICK.  55 

engaged  in  attending  the  medical  lectures  delivered 
in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  that  he  should 
lecture  to  them  on  surgery.  Among  these  gen- 
tlemen who  so  fully  appreciated  his  extraordinary 
qualifications,  was  included  our  present  pre-emi- 
nently distinguished  Professor  of  the  Theory  and 
Practice  of  Medicine,  Dr.  Chapman. 

No  man  could  feel  more  deeply  the  solemn  re- 
sponsibilities attendant  upon  such  an  enterprise 
than  Dr.  Physick.  After  mature  deliberation, 
however,  he  determined  to  accede  to  their  request, 
and  this  may  be  dated  as  the  period  at  which  he 
commenced  his  labours  as  a  lecturer. 

The  following  anecdote,  related  to  me  by  the 
Doctor  himself,  will  exemplify  the  ardour  and  zeal 
with  which  he  entered  upon  the  performance  of 
his  duties,  and  it  illustrates  also  most  happily  the 
great  advantages  which  may  be  derived  from  a 
word  of  encouragement  and  approbation,  coming 
from  a  source  in  which  entire  confidence  is  re- 
posed. 

After  preparing  the  lecture  introductory  to  his 
course,  he  committed  it  to  memory.  Among  the 
persons  invited  to  be  present  at  its  delivery  was 
his  valued  friend,  Dr.  Rush.  The  scene  was  a 
trying  one  to  Dr.  Physick.  It  was  the  first  time 
he  had  ever  publicly  addressed  an  audience.  I 
have  been  informed,  however,  that  he  acquitted 


56  A  MEMOIR 

himself  extremely  well.  At  the  close  of  the  lec- 
ture. Dr.  Rush  stepped  up  to  him  and  gave  him 
his  hand,  and  congratulated  him  upon  his  success. 
He  then  said  to  him  very  emphatically,  "Doctor, 
that  will  do — that  will  do.  You  need  not  be  ap- 
prehensive as  to  the  result  of  your  lecturing — I 
am  sure  you  will  succeed."  Dr.  Physick  never 
forgot  Dr.  Rush's  kind  manner  to  him  on  this  oc- 
casion. He  assured  me  that  it  exerted  a  consider- 
able influence  in  strengthening  and  confirming  his 
resolutions  to  persevere.  It  is  needless  for  me  to 
say  that  Dr.  Rush's  predictions  respecting  Dr. 
Physick's  ultimate  success  in  lecturing  were  ful- 
filled to  the  utmost.  Five  years  subsequently  to 
that  period,  the  Professorship  of  surgery  was  cre- 
ated in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Dr. 
Physick  was  appointed  to  fill  the  chair. 

In  the  year  1801,  Dr.  Physick  received  an  ap- 
pointment to  the  Philadelphia  Alms  House  In- 
firmary. In  looking  over  his  papers  a  short  time 
since,  I  discovered  the  letter  which  notified  him 
of  his  election.  I  am  induced  to  insert  the  letter 
in  this  memoir,  inasmuch  as  it  is  somewhat  pe- 
culiar, and  the  terms  in  which  it  is  worded, 
evidently  admit  of  the  construction,  that  his 
appointment  carried  with  it  unusual  powers  and 
privileges. 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  57 

"Jllms  House,  16th  Sept.,  1801. 
"  ESTEEMED  FRIEND — I  take  the  liberty  to  in- 
form you  that,  by  a  Resolution  of  the  Board  of 
Managers  of  the  7th  inst.,  you  were  appointed 
Surgeon  Extraordinary,  and  on  the  14th  follow- 
ing, one  of  the  Physicians  of  this  Institution;  and 
with  sentiments  of  sincere  regard 

I  remain  your  friend, 

PETER  BROWNE. 
DR.  PHILIP  SYNG  PHYSICK. 

I  am  not  aware  that  any  similar  appointment 
has  been  made  in  that  institution  since  that  period 
up  to  the  present  time.  I  remember  distinctly 
that  he  informed  me  on  several  occasions,  that  he 
held  the  situation  of  Surgeon  Extraordinary  to 
the  Alms  House  Infirmary. 

In  1802,  he  published  a  paper  in  the  New  York 
Medical  Repository,  in  which  he  communicates 
the  particulars  of  a  case  of  hydrophobia.  In  this 
communication  he  gives  a  circumstantial  account 
of  the  appearances  which  were  observed  upon  dis- 
section; and  as  a  means  of  affording  relief  in  simi- 
lar cases,  he  suggests,  in  conjunction  with  other 
remedies,  the  propriety  of  performing  the  opera- 
tion of  tracheotomy.  The  following  quotation  is 
sufficiently  explanatory  of  the  views  which  he 
entertained. 
8 


58  A  MEMOIR 

"  Reflecting  on  the  symptoms  which  took  place 
in  the  case  ahove  related,  it  appeared  to  me,  that 
the  dread  of  water  arose  chiefly  from  the  convul- 
sive or  spasmodic  contraction  of  the  muscles  of 
the  glottis,  which  rendered  the  patient  unable  to 
breathe,  and  involved  him  in  all  the  horrors  of 
impending  suffocation.  When  asked  why  he  could 
not  drink,  he  answered,  that  whenever  he  attempt- 
ed to  swallow  any  thing  it  took  his  breath  away." 

"Under  the  influence  of  these  opinions  I  am 
disposed  to  believe,  that  tracheotomy  would  have 
saved  my  patient,  at  least  for  a  time,  if  it  had  not 
altogether  prevented  the  fatal  termination  of  the 
disease.  I  cannot  suppose  that  the  spasms  of  the 
muscles  in  hydrophobia  would  be  attended  with 
much  danger  to  life,  were  it  not  for  their  influence 
in  suspending  respiration."  *  *  *  * 

I  am  not  informed  that  he  ever  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  testing  practically  the  value  of  the  fore- 
going suggestion,  by  the  performance  of  the  ope- 
ration. 

About  this  period,  it  may  be  said,  that  the 
talents  and  acquirements  displayed  by  Dr.  Phy- 
sick  began  to  be  extensively  known  and  appre- 
ciated, not  only  by  the  members  of  his  own  pro- 
fession, but  also  by  those  who  cultivated  science 
in  general.  I  may  mention,  that  in  this  same 
year,  (1802,)  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  59 

American  Philosophical  Society,  a  well  merited 
tribute  due  to  his  rising  greatness. 

The  year  1802  was  also  signalised  by  Dr.  Phy- 
sick  by  his  invention  and  execution  of  an  operation 
which  not  only  forms  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
achievements  of  modern  surgery,  but  has  also  been 
productive  of  the  most  beneficial  results  to  suffer- 
ing humanity.  On  the  18th  of  December,  1802, 
he  performed,  in  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  his 
celebrated  operation  of  passing  a  seton  between 
the  ends  of  an  ununited  fractured  humerus,  for 
the  purpose  of  causing  a  deposition  of  callus,  and 
thereby  producing  the  consolidation  of  the  broken 
bone.  The  patient  was  a  seaman,  who  had  had 
the  misfortune  to  fracture  his  left  arm,  eighteen 
months  previously,  whilst  at  sea ;  and  in  conse- 
quence of  the  bones  not  having  united,  the  limb 
was  rendered  nearly  useless.  At  the  expiration 
of  five  months  after  the  performance  of  the  opera- 
tion he  was  discharged  from  the  Hospital  perfectly 
cured,  his  arm  being  as  strong  as  it  ever  was. 
Dr.  Physick  published  an  account  of  this  case  in 
the  Medical  Repository  of  New  York,  vol.  i,  1804; 
and  it  was  republished  entire  in  the  Medico-Chi- 
rurgical  Transactions  of  London,  vol.  v,  1819. 

It  so  happened  that,  in  the  year  1830, 1  was  re- 
quested to  visit  a  patient  in  Third  street,  who  was 
lying  dangerously  ill  from  an  attack  of  remitting 


60  A  MEMOIR 

fever  of  a  high  grade.  A  few  days  after  my 
first  visit,  in  riding  past  his  door  in  company 
with  Dr.  Physick,  feeling  very  uneasy  about  the 
condition  of  my  patient,  I  requested  the  Doctor 
to  step  into  the  house  and  see  him  with  me,  and 
give  me  the  benefit  of  his  advice.  He  complied 
with  my  request,  and  upon  entering  the  sick 
man's  chamber  he  immediately  recognised  him  as 
the  individual  upon  whom  he  had  performed  the 
operation  which  I  have  just  described,  twenty- 
eight  years  previously.  Upon  questioning  the 
patient  he  informed  us  that  the  arm  which  had 
been  broken  was  quite  as  strong  as  his  other  arm, 
and  that  he  had  never  sustained  any  inconvenience 
from  the  operation.  Eventually  the  man  died ; 
and  having  obtained  permission  to  make  a  post 
mortem  examination,  I  procured  his  humerus,  and 
still  have  it  in  my  possession,  regarding  it  as  one 
of  the  most  interesting  and  valuable  pathological 
specimens  extant.  At  the  place  of  fracture,  the 
two  ends  of  the  bone  are  perfectly  consolidated 
by  a  considerable  mass  of  osseous  matter,  in  the 
centre  of  which  there  is  a  hole,  showing  the  place 
through  which  the  seton  passed. 

Since  the  performance  of  Dr.  Physick's  first 
operation  in  1802,  this  method  has  been  resorted 
to  with  entire  success  in  numerous  instances  by 
himself  and  other  surgeons,  in  effecting  a  cure  of 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  61 

ununited  fractures,  occurring  not  only  in  the  hu- 
merus,  but  also  in  some  of  the  other  bones.  That 
this  operation,  like  all  others,  occasionally  fails  in 
effecting  the  desired  object,  must  be  admitted:  it 
is,  however,  generally  conceded  that  it  possesses 
many  advantages  over  the  method  not  unfrequent- 
ly  resorted  to,  of  cutting  down  to  the  ends  of  the 
bone  and  sawing  them  off,  as  recommended  by 
Mr.  Charles  White,  of  Manchester. 

In  describing  that  process  M.  Boyer  declares 
it  to  be  "painful,  terrifying,  and  of  dubious  event." 
He  once  performed  it  on  account  of  a  preternatu- 
ral joint,  situated  in  the  middle  of  the  humerus ; 
the  limb  mortified,  and  the  patient  died  on  the 
sixth  day.  Independently  of  the  greater  hazard 
attending  this  method  of  operating,  it  is  unques- 
tionably much  more  painful  than  Dr.  Physick's; 
and  although  occasionally  it  succeeds  perfectly,  in 
many  instances  it  has  entirely  failed. 

It  is  a  matter  of  much  surprise  and  regret,  that 
Mr.  William  Lawrence,  of  London,  a  gentleman 
distinguished  for  brilliant  talents  and  extensive 
learning,  in  speaking,  in  his  surgical  lectures,  of 
the  different  methods  of  operating  for  the  cure  of 
ununited  fractures,  describes  Dr.  Physick's  ope- 
ration by  means  of  the  seton ;  but  owing  probably 
to  a  want  of  better  information,  seems  disposed 
to  undervalue,  in  a  most  extraordinary  degree, 


G2  A  MEMOIR 

the  importance  of  Dr.  Physick's  operation,  and 
limits  amazingly  its  successful  results. 

In  order  to  correct  the  inaccuracy  of  Mr. 
Lawrence's  statement,  and  to  do  away  the  false 
impressions  which  it  might  create,  and  as  an  act 
of  justice  due  to  the  distinguished  inventor  of  the 
operation,  my  friend,  Dr.  Hays  published  in  his 
valuable  periodical,  the  American  Journal  of  the 
Medical  Sciences,  vol.  vii,  p.  267,  a  brief  summary 
of  numerous  cases  of  ununited  fracture  success- 
fully treated  by  means  of  the  seton.  The  majority 
of  these  cases  are  published  in  the  most  celebrated 
of  the  European  Journals.  I  consider  Dr.  Hays's 
publication  to  be  a  triumphant  refutation  of  what 
I  believe  to  be  Mr.  Lawrence's  unintentional  mis- 
statement.  Dr.  Physick  was  himself  extremely 
gratified  at  the  able  manner  in  which  Dr.  Hays 
had  vindicated  the  claims  which  he  considered 
his  operation,  for  the  cure  of  artificial  joint  by 
means  of  the  seton,  justly  to  possess. 

From  a  reference  to  Dr.  Physick's  private 
journal,  and  from  an  inspection  also  of  a  note 
book,  or  book  of  cases,  kept  by  his  nephew,  Dr. 
Dorsey,  it  is  clearly  evident  that  at  the  period  to 
which  we  are  alluding,  Dr.  Physick  was  fully 
occupied  in  attending  to  a  most  extensive  and 
laborious  practice.  In  Dr.  Dorsey's  note  book 
are  recorded  the  most  interesting  cases  and  opera- 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  G3 

tions  occurring  in  the  practice  of  Dr.  Physick,  to 
which  he  was  a  witness.  It  is  exceedingly  proba- 
ble, however,  that  during  that  period  there  were 
but  few  operations  performed  by  Dr.  Physick,  at 
which  Dr.  Dorsey  was  not  present;  for  in  some 
places  I  discover  that  he  gives  an  account  of  im- 
portant and  capital  operations  performed  almost 
daily  by  his  uncle. 

It  has  always  been  a  subject  of  deep  regret 
with  the  profession,  that  Dr.  Physick  should  have 
evinced  throughout  his  whole  life  such  an  extreme 
reluctance  to  the  publication  of  the  results  of  his 
valuable  observations  and  experience.  The  loss 
which  we  have  sustained  in  this  respect  is  truly 
incalculable.  What  a  fund  of  knowledge  has  in 
this  manner  been  permitted  to  pass  away,  which 
might  have  been  happily  applied  to  ameliorating 
the  wants  and  miseries  of  humanity.  Strange  as 
it  may  appear,  I  unhesitatingly  assert,  that  post- 
humous fame  was  not  sought  after  by  Dr.  Phy- 
sick. I  am  well  convinced,  however,  that  in  the 
latter  years  of  his  life,  he  regretted  very  much 
himself  that  he  had  not  published  more  for  the 
benefit  of  his  fellow  beings ;  but  at  this  period  his 
disinclination  and  habits  had  become  so  confirmed 
that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  change  them. 

From  the  paucity  of  Dr.  Physick's  printed 
communications,  and  their  considerable  value,  I 


64  A  MEMOIR 

make  no  apology  for  the  manner  in  which  I 
briefly  notice  them.  It  has  been  necessary  to 
collect  them  from  various  Journals.  I  consider 
it  the  less  necessary  to  enlarge  upon  them,  inas- 
much as  I  have  pleasure  in  saying,  that  my  friend, 
Dr.  Benjamin  Hornor  Coates,  is  engaged  in  pre- 
paring an  edition  of  Dr.  Physick's  works,  with 
such  commentaries  on  his  doctrines  and  practices 
as  may  appear  necessary. 

In  Coxe's  Medical  Museum,  vol.  i,  for  the 
years  1804  and  1805,  I  find  there  are  published 
by  Dr.  Physick  three  papers,  communicating  cases 
occurring  in  his  practice,  together  with  practical 
suggestions,  and  by  Mr.  Bishop  two,  giving  an 
account  of  improvements  and  modifications  upon 
instruments  made  after  the  directions  of  Dr.  Phy- 
sick. 

In  the  first  paper  Dr.  Physick  communicates 
the  particulars  of  a  case  of  varicose  aneurism,  oc- 
curring at  the  bend  of  the  elbow,  in  consequence 
of  the  artery  being  wounded  in  the  operation  of 
venesection.  In  this  case  the  artery  had  been 
punctured  by  the  lancet  being  pushed  into  it 
through  the  vein.  The  blood  escaped  from  the 
artery  into  the  cellular  membrane  between  it  and 
the  vein,  and  formed  a  large  pulsating  tumour,  in 
which  the  particular  thrill  accompanying  varicose 
aneurisms  was  distinctly  felt.  The  sac  formed 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK,  65 

out  of  the  cellular  tissue  went  on  increasing  in 
size,  until  it  became  so  firm  that  the  blood  was 
forced  from  it  into  the  vein  through  the  puncture 
in  its  lower  side,  with  sufficient  force  to  distend 
it  very  considerably  for  two  or  three  inches  above 
and  below  the  sac.  The  size  of  the  forearm 
had  much  diminished,  and  the  hand  was  con- 
stantly cold.  At  length  the  skin  covering  the 
swelling  became  so  thinned  that  the  patient's  mind 
became  very  uneasy  from  an  apprehension  that  it 
might  suddenly  rupture.  In  this  state  Dr.  Wis- 
tar  and  Dr.  Physick  advised  that  an  operation 
should  be  performed. 

Dr.  Physick  proceeded  in  the  following  man- 
ner. He  divided  the  skin  and  cellular  membrane 
covering  the  swelling,  and  then  dissected  com- 
pletely round  the  tumours.  After  this  he  tied  the 
trunk  of  the  vein  above  and  below  its  enlarge- 
ment ;  and  next  he  tied  the  artery  above  and  be- 
low the  sac.  He  finally  dissected  out  the  wThole 
of  the  parts  between  the  ligatures,  including  the 
aneurismal  sac.  Upon  opening  the  sac  its  inside 
was  found  every  where  incrusted  with  bony  mat- 
ter; but  the  artery  was  perfectly  sound  and  natu- 
ral. In  three  weeks  the  wound  healed,  and  the 
patient  very  soon  recovered  the  entire  use  of  the 
limb. 

The  second  publication  consists  of  a  communi- 
9 


66  A  MEMOIR 

cation  from  R.  B.  Bishop,  surgeons'  instrument 
maker,  to  Dr.  Coxe,  describing  the  gorget,  as  con- 
structed according  to  Dr.  Physick's  plan.  I  have 
already  noticed  this  modification  of  the  gorget  in 
a  former  part  of  this  memoir. 

The  third  publication  contained  in  the  Medical 
Museum  must  be  considered  exceedingly  valuable 
and  interesting,  from  the  circumstance  of  its  being 
the  first  to  announce  to  the  profession  a  new  me- 
thod of  treatment,  suggested  by  Dr.  Physick,  for 
the  relief  of  a  most  formidable  variety  of  disease, 
and  one  which  had  previously  baffled  the  skill  of 
the  most  experienced  physicians.  In  this  com- 
munication Dr.  Physick  recommends  the  use  of 
blisters  for  the  purpose  of  arresting  the  progress 
of  mortification.  He  states  that  he  was  induced 
to  resort  to  this  practice  from  a  knowledge  of  blis- 
ters having  been  employed  advantageously  in  cur- 
ing erysipelatous  inflammation ;  a  practice  which 
he  learned  from  the  late  Dr.  J.  Pfeiffer. 

In  this  paper  Dr.  Physick  gives  an  account  of 
two  cases  of  mortification  which  came  under  his 
own  notice,  in  which  he  applied  blisters  to  the 
mortified  parts  with  the  most  beneficial  effects. 
He  also  publishes  two  letters,  one  addressed  to 
him  by  his  friend,  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  and  the 
other  by  Dr.  Church ;  each  of  whom  describes  a 
case  of  mortification  in  which  he  employed  blis- 


OF  DR.  PHYS1CK.  67 

ters,  upon  Dr.  Physick's  recommendation,  with 
perfect  success. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  for  me  to  add,  that 
since  that  period,  blisters  have  been  employed  in 
a  great  variety  of  cases,  for  the  purpose  of  arresting 
the  progress  of  gangrene  and  mortification,  with 
the  most  successful  results.  As  a  local  remedy  I 
believe  a  blister  is  entitled  to  a  decided  preference 
over  all  others.  In  order  for  it  to  be  effectual  it 
should  be  large  enough  to  cover  the  sound  parts 
adjacent  to  the  disease. 

The  fourth  publication  consists  of  a  letter  from 
R.  B.  Bishop  to  the  editor,  in  which  he  gives  a 
description  of  the  curved  bistoury,  as  improved 
by  Dr.  Physick,  for  the  operation  of  fistula  in  ano, 
with  a  plate.  This  well  known  instrument,  thus 
modified  by  Dr.  Physick,  combines  the  advantages 
of  both  the  blunt  and  sharp-pointed  bistoury. 
Since  the  period  of  its  invention  it  has  been  in 
general  use,  and  is  mostly  found  in  the  common 
pocket  cases  of  instruments  manufactured  in  this 
city. 

In  the  fifth  communication  Dr.  Physick  de- 
scribes the  history  of  a  case  of  luxation  of  the 
thigh  bone  forward,  and  the  method  which  he 
employed  for  its  reduction ;  and  the  paper  is  ac- 
companied by  a  plate.  Although  this  case  is  an 


68  A  MEMOIR 

exceedingly  interesting  one,  I  do  not  think  it  ne- 
cessary to  describe  it  more  particularly. 

I  have  already  stated,  that  at  the  period  when 
Dr.  Physick  commenced  his  professional  career, 
the  organisation  of  the  medical  department  in  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  was  so  imperfect,  that 
the  chairs  of  Anatomy  and  Surgery  were  com- 
bined, and  the  duties  of  teaching  both  branches 
devolved  upon  one  Professor.  In  order  to  remedy 
this  acknowledged  deficiency,  in  the  year  1805, 
the  chair  of  Surgery  was  made  distinct  from  that 
of  Anatomy,  and  Dr.  Physick  wTas  elected,  I  be- 
lieve unanimously,  Professor  of  Surgery. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  that  he  had  pre- 
viously, in  the  year  1800,  complied  with  a  request, 
made  to  him  by  a  number  of  gentlemen  engaged 
in  the  study  of  medicine,  that  he  would  deliver 
lectures  on  surgery.  These  lectures  were  de- 
livered in  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital ;  and  he  ex- 
hibited such  positive  and  satisfactory  evidence  of 
his  fitness  and  entire  competency  to  the  task 
which  he  had  assumed,  that  his  labours  were 
crowned  with  the  most  complete  success,  and  he 
very  soon  became  exceedingly  popular  as  a  teacher, 
and  added  greatly  to  his  fame  and  celebrity. 

It  is  more  than  probable  that  the  position  which 
he  now  held  as  a  lecturer  on  surgery,  excited  no 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  69 

little  influence  in  producing  the  change  which 
was  made  in  the  medical  faculty. 

I  presume  it  will  not  be  denied  that,  however 
great  the  advantages  may  have  been  which  ac- 
crued to  Dr.  Physick  in  consequence  of  his  being 
appointed  Professor  of  Surgery  in  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  the  institution  itself  derived  equal 
advantages  from  his  connection  with  its  medical 
faculty.  It  is  very  certain  that,  soon  after  he  was 
appointed  Professor  of  Surgery,  the  number  of 
students  who  resorted  to  this  city  to  attend  the 
medical  lectures,  increased  to  a  prodigious  extent ; 
and  although  I  freely  admit  that  there  were  many 
cooperating  circumstances  present  which  tended 
to  produce  the  same  effect,  and  that  his  efforts  in 
behalf  of  the  school  were  seconded  by  colleagues 
who  possessed  talents  of  so  refulgent  a  character 
that  the  light  shed  from  them  has  not  yet  passed 
away,  still  it  is  worthy  of  record,  that  at  the  pe- 
riod when  Dr.  Physick  enjoyed  the  very  zenith  of 
his  fame  and  usefulness,  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania had  attained  the  acme  of  its  reputation. 

Having  shown  that  Dr.  Physick's  efforts  as  a 
private  lecturer  were  attended  with  the  most 
entire  success,  we  can  readily  believe  that  he  was 
quite  ready  and  prepared  to  enter  upon  the  duties 
of  his  new  appointment.  Inasmuch,  however,  as 
this  situation  opened  to  him  a  more  extensive  field 


70  A  MEMOIR 

of  action  than  he  had  previously  cultivated,  he 
felt  himself  called  upon  to  make  renewed  exer- 
tions. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  conceive  of  the  great 
amount  of  labour  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
performing  daily,  during  this  period  of  his  life. 
He  has  frequently  told  me  that  it  was  his  custom, 
throughout  the  winter  months,  to  rise  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  This  hour  being  too 
early  to  disturb  a  servant,  he  was  obliged  to  ar- 
range his  own  fire.  He  would  then  sit  down  to 
his  desk  and  prepare  his  lecture  for  the  day;  after 
which  he  would  dress  himself,  and  then  take  his 
breakfast,  and  leave  his  house  between  eight  and 
nine  o'clock,  in  order  to  attend  to  a  most  extensive 
and  laborious  practice.  In  addition  to  all  this,  he 
discharged  his  duties  as  Surgeon  to  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Hospital,  and  to  the  Alms  House  Infirmary. 
He  used  often  to  remark,  that  in  order  to  obtain 
entire  success  as  a  practitioner  of  medicine,  it  was 
necessary  to  work  hard.  He  told  me  that  in 
London  this  idea  was  conveyed  by  the  emphatic 

expression  "Doctor  or  Mr. is  working  his 

way  into  business."  It  will  be  conceded  that  no 
portion  of  his  success  ever  came  to  him  gratu- 
itously; on  the  contrary,  he  made  laborious  exer- 
tions to  obtain  it. 

Dr.  Physick's  manner  as  a  public  lecturer  was 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  71 

grave,  dignified  and  impressive  to  an  extraordinary 
degree.  His  style  was  clear  and  comprehensive, 
simple  yet  chaste.  He  was  uniformly  careful  ne- 
ver to  say  too  much.  His  choice  of  language 
was  remarkably  good,  and  he  possessed  the  happy 
faculty  of  communicating  knowledge  agreeably 
and  well  in  as  great  perfection  as  any  other  man 
I  have  ever  heard  lecture.  Perhaps  one  great 
reason  for  this  was,  that  he  never  undertook  to  in- 
struct others  upon  subjects  which  he  did  not  clear- 
ly comprehend  himself.  He  attempted  no  display 
of  oratory ;  neither  did  he  permit  his  reason  and 
imagination  to  run  wild  in  the  regions  of  theory 
and  fancy.  For  these  attributes  he  found  much 
better  employment;  he  kept  them  constantly  oc- 
cupied in  studying  the  realities  of  life,  and  in 
reflecting  upon  the  best  methods  of  promoting  the 
welfare  of  his  fellow  creatures.  His  lectures 
wrere  all  carefully  prepared  and  written  out.  He 
did  not  at  all  approve  of  extemporaneous  lectur- 
ing; as  he  thought  that  in  lecturing  upon  scientific 
subjects,  and  more  especially  such  as  involved  the 
lives  and  happiness  of  our  fellow  beings,  no  man 
had  a  right  to  place  so  much  confidence  in  the 
strength  of  his  memory  as  is  implied  in  that  prac- 
tice. 

Dr.  Physick's  course  of  lectures  on  surgery 
was  pre-eminently  valuable,  in  consequence  of  its 


72  A  MEMOIR 

being  founded  principally  upon  his  own  practical 
knowledge  and  experience,  and  in  consequence 
also  of  his  discarding  all  inferences  drawn  from 
hypothesis ;  besides  which  his  lectures  derived  an 
additional  attraction  and  importance  from  the  cir- 
cumstance that  his  reputation  for  stern  integrity 
and  strict  veracity  was  so  well  known  and  esta- 
blished, that  whenever  he  asserted  facts  to  be  true, 
they  were  implicitly  believed. 

As  a  letter-writer  he  wras  exceedingly  exem- 
plary and  peculiar.  I  regret  very  much  that  I 
have  not  the  privilege  of  inserting  a  few  of  his 
letters  in  this  memoir,  in  order  to  let  them  speak 
for  themselves.  His  letters  in  general  were  re- 
markably brief  and  pithy.  Having  said  all  that 
he  considered  necessary  for  the  elucidation  of  his 
subject,  he  invariably  stopped.  I  have  frequently 
known  him  to  reply  to  a  letter  of  three  or  four 
pages  closely  written,  in  about  as  many  lines. 
He  was  excessively  annoyed  at  receiving,  and  be- 
ing obliged  to  read  letters  of  an  unmeaning  and 
unnecessary  length.  The  same  thing  took  place 
with  respect  to  books.  I  have  often  heard  him 
complain,  that  it  was  very  hard  he  was  obliged  to 
read  through  a  volume  of  two  or  three  hundred 
pages,  in  order  to  get  at  ideas  which  might  have 
been  embodied  in  ten  or  twenty. 

The  year  1809  has  been  rendered  memorable 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  73 

in  the  annals  of  surgery,  by  the  invention  and  ex- 
ecution of  an  operation  by  Dr.  Physick,  which, 
for  the  brilliancy  of  its  conception  and  the  impor- 
tant practical  results  which  have  ensued  from  it, 
has  excited  admiration  and  attention  throughout 
the  medical  world. 

In  the  month  of  January  of  the  year  1809,  Dr. 
Physick  performed  his  operation  for  the  cure  of 
artificial  anus,  which,  as  is  well  known,  eventuated 
in  the  most  complete  success.  To  those  who  are 
entirely  unacquainted  with  the  nature  and  condi- 
tion of  this  loathsome  malady,  it  is  impossible  to 
convey  any  adequate  idea  of  the  many  afflicting 
circumstances  connected  with  it ;  suffice  it  to  say, 
that  the  unhappy  sufferer  is  rendered  disgusting 
not  only  to  himself,  but  also  to  all  those  around 
him.  I  imagine  there  are  but  few  who  would 
hesitate  long  in  choosing  between  death  and  ex- 
istence complicated  with  a  train  of  such  insup- 
portable evils.  What  an  immense  amount  of 
obligation  are  we  not  under  to  him  who,  by  the 
force  of  his  genius  and  profound  acquirements, 
was  enabled  to  triumph  over  obstacles  of  such 
fearful  magnitude,  and  provide  a  remedy  for  such 
a  hopeless  calamity !  We  are  happy  to  say,  that 
the  debt  of  gratitude  has  not  been  left  unpaid, 
and  that  Dr.  Physick  has  received  the  homage  of 
10 


74  A  MEMOIR 

the  profession  for  having  achieved  this  invaluable 
discovery. 

His  method  of  performing  this  operation  is  now 
so  well  known  that  it  is  not  necessary  for  me  to 
communicate  the  details  of  it  here.  He  wras  neg- 
ligent in  not  making  a  printed  publication  of  the 
method  at  the  moment  of  its  discovery;  he,  how- 
ever, publicly  taught,  in  his  surgical  lectures,  the 
manner  of  performing  the  operation,  and  the  prin- 
ciples upon  which  it  was  founded,  from  the  year 
1809  until  1821,  to  classes  of  several  hundred 
medical  students. 

You  are  aware  that  some  years  subsequently  to 
the  period  when  Dr.  Physick  first  performed  it, 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  surgeons  of  Europe, 
the  late  Baron  Dupuytren,  performed  an  operation 
upon  a  somewhat  modified  plan,  but  with  similar 
views,  and  founded  upon  precisely  the  same  prin- 
ciples; and  that  he  claimed  the  merit  of  having 
invented  the  method,  and  appropriated  to  himself 
the  consequent  honours.  It  did  not5  however,  by 
any  means  comport  with  the  views  entertained 
by  the  surgeons  of  our  country,  that  the  distin- 
guished head  of  the  profession  should  be  dispos- 
sessed in  so  unceremonious  a  manner,  of  honours 
exclusively  his  own.  Accordingly,  in  order  to 
place  the  matter  in  its  proper  light,  my  friend 
Dr.  Benjamin  Hornor  Coates,  obtained  from  Dr. 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  75 

Physick  the  date  of  the  operation,  together  with 
ample  notes  of  the  case,  taken  from  his  private 
journal,  now  in  my  possession,  and  also  procured 
an  account  of  the  case  as  recorded  in  the  manu- 
script case  hook  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital; 
and  then  puhlished  a  full  account  of  Dr.  Physick's 
operation  in  the  North  American  Medical  and 
Surgical  Journal  for  Octoher,  1826,  together  with 
some  valuahle  remarks  upon  Baron  Dupuytren's 
method  of  operating,  proving  in  the  most  satisfac- 
tory manner  that  the  justly  celehrated  French 
surgeon  promulgated  the  idea  of  the  operation 
long  after  Dr.  Physick. 

Notwithstanding,  as  might  he  supposed,  Baron 
Dupuytren  exhihited  reluctance  to  yield  his  claims 
to  this  discovery,  I  am  of  the  opinion,  that  pre- 
viously to  his  death,  he  was  fully  satisfied  that 
Dr.  Physick  preceded  him  in  its  invention. 

In  the  year  1835,  Dr.  Physick  was  exceedingly 
gratified  at  receiving  a  letter  from  his  relative, 
Dr.  Eohert  E.  Dorsey,  then  residing  in  Parrs,  in 
which  he  informed  him  that  M.  Eoux,  the  present 
distinguished  successor  to  Baron  Dupuytren  as 
surgeon  in  chief  to  the  Hotel  Dieu,  stated  dis- 
tinctly in  a  lecture  introductory  to  his  clinical 
course  on  surgery,  in  the  presence  of  Professor 
Mott  of  New  York,  Dr.  A.  B.  Tucker  of  this 
city,  and  a  large  class  of  medical  gentlemen,  that 


76  A  MEMOIR 

to  Dr.  Physick  was  unquestionably  due  the  ho- 
nour of  having  invented  the  operation  for  arti- 
ficial anus,  which  had  been  claimed  by  his  prede- 
cessor. Baron  Dupuytren. 

In  the  third  volume  of  the  "  Eclectic  Reper- 
tory," for  October,  1812,  Dr.  Physick  published 
an  account  of  a  new  method  which  he  had  em- 
ployed for  the  purpose  of  extracting  poisonous 
substances  from  the  stomach.  In  this  communi- 
cation he  furnished  the  particulars  of  two  very 
interesting  cases,  in  which  two  children,  twin 
brothers  of  the  age  of  three  months,  had  been 
thrown  into  a  state  of  complete  stupor,  from 
which  they  could  not  be  roused,  from  having  had 
administered  to  each  of  them  by  their  mother, 
one  drop  of  laudanum,  in  order  to  allay  the  rest- 
lessness attendant  upon  whooping  cough,  under 
which  they  were  both  labouring.  It  appears  that 
the  vial  from  which  the  laudanum  had  been  given 
had  contained,  several  weeks  previously,  nearly 
one  ounce  of  that  medicine ;  but  in  consequence 
of  having  been  left  without  a  cork,  it  evaporated 
away  so  much  that  the  mother  was  only  able  to 
obtain  one  drop  for  one  of  the  children,  and  in 
order  to  procure  another  drop,  she  put  two  drops 
of  water  into  the  vial,  and  stirred  it  about  so  as 
to  obtain  another  drop,  which  she  gave  to  the 
other  child.  The  poor  mother  was  entirely  igno- 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  77 

rant  of  the  immense  additional  strength  which  the 
dose  had  gained,  in  consequence  of  the  evaporation 
which  had  taken  place. 

Each  of  these  children  had  heen  thrown  into 
convulsions.  When  Dr.  Physick  arrived  at  the 
house,  he  immediately  prescribed  an  emetic  of 
ipecacuanha,  and  directed  it  to  be  given  at  once. 
This,  however,  could  not  be  accomplished,  as  the 
children  were  incapable  of  swallowing.  "The 
countenances  of  the  children  became  livid,  their 
breathing  very  laborious,  with  long  intervals  be- 
tween the  times  of  each  inspiration,  and  the  pulse 
in  each  very  feeble.  The  pulse  aiid  respiration 
had  almost  ceased;  and,  indeed,  the  pulse  could 
not  be  perceived,  except  a  faint  stroke  or  two, 
after  that  kind  of  imperfect  and  convulsive  inspi- 
ration which  is  commonly  observed  in  children 
just  before  actual  death,  accompanied  with  a  con- 
vulsive action  of  the  muscles  of  the  mouth  and 
neck."  Under  these  circumstances  Dr.  Physick 
saw  clearly  that  in  order  to  give  the  children  a 
chance  of  recovery,  no  time  was  to  be  lost ;  and 
inasmuch  as  they  could  not  swallow  any  thing,  he 
determined  to  inject  an  emetic  into  their  stomachs. 
For  this  purpose  he  introduced  a  large  flexible  ca- 
theter down  the  oesophagus,  and  through  it  he 
injected  one  drachm  of  ipecacuanha  mixed  with 
w^ater,  by  means  of  a  common  pewter  syringe. 


78  A  MEMOIR 

After  waiting  some  little  time  for  the  operation  of 
the  emetic,  although  in  vain,  as  the  stomach  had 
in  both  instances  completely  lost  its  power  of  ac- 
tion, he  injected  a  quantity  of  warm  water,  and 
then  withdrew  it  by  means  of  the  syringe.  He 
now  repeated  these  operations  again  and  again, 
until  he  had  washed  out  the  stomachs  thoroughly 
and  removed  all  their  contents. 

By  the  time  these  operations  were  completed, 
however,  all  signs  of  animation  in  each  of  the 
children  were  entirely  lost.  Discouraging  as  these 
circumstances  were,  the  Doctor  determined  to  per- 
severe in  his  efforts  to  restore  life;  and  accordingly 
he  injected  into  their  stomachs  some  spirits,  mixed 
with  water,  and  a  little  vinegar ;  and  he  also  made 
use  of  external  stimuli.  In  a  few  minutes  the  pulse 
and  respiration  returned  in  each  child,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  short  time  both  were  regularly  per- 
formed. The  result  of  these  cases  was,  that  one 
child  expired  the  next  morning,  and  the  other 
completely  recovered. 

In  a  note  to  this  communication  he  states,  that 
the  idea  of  washing  out  the  stomach  in  cases 
where  large  quantities  of  laudanum  or  other  poi- 
sons had  been  swallowed,  occurred  to  him  at  least 
twelve  years  previously,  and  that  he  had  constantly 
recommended  it  in  his  lectures.  He  states  also 
that  his  nephew.  Dr.  Dorsey,  had  performed  the 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  79 

operation  of  washing  out  the  stomach  in  such  a 
case  in  the  year  1809.  At  the  time  Dr.  Physick 
made  this  communication,  he  was  under  the  full 
impression  that  he  was  the  earliest  inventor  of 
this  operation.  In  the  same  volume,  however,  of 
the  Eclectic  Repertory,  p.  380,  there  is  published 
a  letter  from  him,  addressed  to  the  editors,  in 
which  he  says  that  he  considers  it  an  act  of  justice 
to  inform  his  medical  brethren  that  the  merit  of 
prior  invention  belongs  to  Dr.  Alexander  Munro, 
Jr.,  of  Edinburgh,  who  published  it  in  his  inau- 
gural thesis,  in  A.  D.  1797.  Dr.  Physick  was 
entirely  ignorant  of  this  fact  until  he  saw  it  men- 
tioned in  Dr.  Munro's  work  on  morbid  anatomy, 
which  he  had  but  very  lately  received. 

Conceding  to  Dr.  Munro  all  the  honour  arising 
from  the  discovery  of  this  valuable  method  of 
treatment,  it  must  be  admitted  that  Dr.  Physick 
is  entitled  to  the  grateful  thanks  of  the  commu- 
nity for  having  introduced  it  into  practice.  It  is 
scarcely  necessary  for  me  to  say  that  this  operation 
is  now  so  completely  established,  as  to  constitute 
it  one  of  almost  daily  performance.  It  has  been 
attended,  in  innumerable  instances,  with  the  most 
successful  results;  and  by  resorting  to  it,  very 
many  wretched  and  unhappy  beings  have  been 
rescued  from  an  untimely  grave. 

In  the  winter  of  1813-14,  Dr.  Physick  suffered 


80  A  MEMOIR 

from  a  severe  attack  of  typhus  fever.  On  this  oc- 
casion his  illness  was  so  extreme,  that  his  medical 
friends  despaired  of  his  life  for  some  time.  He 
gradually  got  well,  but  his  constitution  never  en- 
tirely recovered  from  the  shock  which  it  then  re- 
ceived. It  may  be  stated  that  from  this  period 
he  never  enjoyed  what  might  be  called  uninter- 
rupted health.  His  powers  of  digestion  became 
exceedingly  impaired,  and  from  this  cause  ensued 
a  train  of  most  unpleasant  dyspeptic  symptoms. 
He  became  subject  also  to  frequent  attacks  of  ca- 
tarrh, and  his  susceptibility  to  this  condition  in- 
creased to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  obliged  to 
observe  the  most  rigid  precautions  in  order  to 
guard  against  it.  His  method  of  treatment  when 
labouring  under  a  severe  cold,  required  confine- 
ment to  a  warm  room ;  and  in  fact  he  accustomed 
himself  to  a  degree  of  heat  in  his  apartments 
which  to  many  others  was  almost  insupportable. 
In  addition  to  this  he  always  employed  the  strict- 
est antiphlogistic  treatment,  as  regarded  his  diet 
and  his  remedial  agents.  I  was  always  of  the 
opinion,  however,  that  he  injured  himself,  and  in 
a  measure  produced  the  very  enfeebled  and  pros- 
trated condition  of  his  system  which  attended  him 
during  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  by  the  exces- 
sively reducing  system  of  treatment  to  which  he 
had  recourse. 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  81 

The  small  amount  of  food  of  which  he  would 
sometimes  permit  himself  to  partake,  is  almost 
inconceivable ;  and  this  for  many  days  together. 
I  frequently  expressed  to  him  my  regrets  respect- 
ing the  meagre  diet  he  was  using;  and  upon  one 
occasion  I  dissented  roundly  from  the  propriety  of 
such  a  course  of  dieting.  He  replied  that  he  re- 
gretted it  very  much  himself,  and  that  he  wished 
he  could  indulge  in  more  generous  living,  hut  that 
he  had  accustomed  his  stomach  for  so  long  a  time 
to  abstinence  from  rich  food,  that  it  was  impossible 
now  to  make  any  change. 

About  the  period  to  which  we  are  alluding  he 
began  to  experience  certain  unpleasant  symptoms, 
indicative  of  a  diseased  condition  of  the  heart,  and 
which  eventually  terminated  in  organic  affection 
of  that  organ,  and  doubtless  laid  the  foundation  for 
the  hydropic  complaint  of  which  he  died. 

Among  the  complicated  forms  of  disease  to 
which  he  was  subjected,  must  also  be  enumerated 
nephritic  disorder,  with  calculous  concretions  in 
the  kidneys.  It  is  impossible  for  language  to  de- 
scribe the  pain  and  agony  which  he  frequently 
endured  from  the  passing  of  the  small  calculi 
through  the  ureters  into  his  bladder.  Upon  one 
occasion,  about  ten  years  previous  to  his  death,  I 
knew  him  to  be  for  near  two  hours  without  any 
pulse  perceptible  at  the  wrist,  in  consequence  of 
11 


82  A  MEMOIR 

intense  suffering,  caused  by  the  lodgment  of  a  small 
calculus  in  the  ureter.  It  remained  fixed  in  this 
situation  for  some  days,  and  grew  to  the  size  of  a 
small  pea ;  it  finally  passed  into  the  bladder,  and 
was  discharged  a  few  minutes  subsequently  through 
the  urethra.  Had  it  remained  in  the  bladder  but 
for  a  short  period,  it  might  have  attained  a  size 
too  great  to  admit  of  its  discharge  through  the  ca- 
nal ;  and  he  would  then  have  had,  in  addition  to 
his  other  evils,  that  formidable  affection,  the  stone. 
The  practical  knowledge  and  experience  which 
Dr.  Physick  derived  from  the  careful  and  minute 
attention  which  he  bestowed  not  only  upon  every 
department  of  his  profession,  but  also,  I  may  say, 
upon  each  separate  and  individual  case  of  disease 
which  came  under  his  notice,  enabled  him  to  sug- 
gest numerous  modifications  and  improvements 
which  have  exerted  the  happiest  influence  in  ele- 
vating the  condition  of  our  science.  It  would  be 
impossible,  in  a  communication  of  this  nature, 
which  has  already  exceeded  the  limits  originally 
proposed,  to  give  even  a  brief  outline  of  the  many 
valuable  inventions  for  which  we  are  indebted  to 
him.  In  order  to  do  this,  it  appears  to  me,  that 
it  would  be  necessary  to  review  almost  every  pro- 
fessional act  of  his  life;  because  there  was  no  form 
of  disease  of  which  he  undertook  the  management, 
in  which  he  did  not  exercise  a  tact  and  method  of 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  83 

treatment  peculiarly  his  own.  I  do  not  mean  to 
say  that  in  every  case  he  prescribed  a  new  reme- 
dy, and  one  original  with  himself.  My  meaning 
is  that  he  invariably  modified  either  the  dose,  or 
the  preparation,  or  the  time  of  its  administration, 
or  the  method  of  its  application,  according  to  his 
own  proper  and  peculiar  views. 

It  may  not  be  deemed  uninteresting  to  men- 
tion the  particulars  of  a  case  in  which  he  was  in- 
strumental in  preserving  the  life  of  a  valuable  and 
distinguished  lady,  by  the  following  simple  treat- 
ment. This  lady  was  brought  on  to  Philadelphia 
labouring  under  an  attack  of  dyspepsia  of  the  most 
aggravated  character.  The  irritability  of  her  sto- 
mach was  so  great,  that  it  had  rejected  every  va- 
riety and  form  of  nourishment  which  could  be 
thought  of,  and  her  system  consequently  was  so 
much  weakened  and  prostrated,  that  she  appeared 
to  be  absolutely  dying  of  inanition.  When  Dr. 
Physick  saw  her,  after  proposing  a  variety  of  arti- 
cles, he  asked  her  whether  she  had  ever,  since  her 
attack,  tried  to  take  milk.  She  replied  that  she  had 
often  taken  it,  but  her  stomach  very  soon  rejected 
it.  He  then  asked  her  whether  she  did  not  think 
that  her  stomach  would  retain  the  half  of  one 
tumblerful  of  milk.  She  said,  no.  He  repeated 
his  questions.  Would  it  retain  one  wineglassful  ? 
No  !  Would  it  retain  a  tablespoonful  ?  No ! 


84  A  MEMOIR 

He  then  told  her  that  he  was  under  the  impression 
that  she  could  retain  in  her  stomach  one  teaspoon- 
ful  of  milk;  and  accordingly  he  prescribed  the 
article  for  her,  to  be  taken  in  that  quantity,  at  re- 
peated intervals.  The  lady  adopted  his  views, 
attended  to  his  prescription,  and  was  ultimately 
restored  to  perfect  health. 

Among  other  improvements  suggested  by  Dr. 
Physick,  I  should  mention,  that  in  the  Eclectic 
Repertory,  vol.  vi,  for  the  year  1816,  he  published 
an  account  of  a  method  which  he  had  proposed 
for  forming  ligatures  out  of  animal  fibre.  He  had 
repeatedly  noticed,  that  after  the  performance  of 
operations,  the  wound  was  prevented  from  healing, 
and  the  patient  was  subjected  to  the  greatest  incon- 
venience and  distress,  in  consequence  of  the  ordi- 
nary ligatures,  formed  out  of  silk  or  flax,  remain- 
ing fixed  in  the  wound  for  the  period  sometimes  of 
many  weeks  or  even  months.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, not  only  is  the  wound  prevented  from 
healing  and  the  patient's  health  injured,  but  in 
order  to  remove  the  ligature  by  pulling  at  it  from 
day  to  day,  patients  have  been  subjected  to  a  de- 
gree of  pain  which,  as  they  have  been  known  to 
declare,  exceeded  that  of  the  original  operation. 
Dr.  Physick  considered  it  an  object  of  extreme 
importance  to  obviate  these  inconveniences ;  and 
accordingly  he  proposed  the  use  of  animal  liga- 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  85 

tures,  by  means  of  which  an  artery  could  be  se- 
cured for  a  sufficient  length  of  time  to  cause  the 
obliteration  of  the  vessel,  and  the  ligature,  being 
decomposed  and  dissolved,  would  escape  in  the 
course  of  a  few  days. 

His  views  upon  this  subject  will  be  fully  ex- 
plained by  the  following  quotation.  "Several 
years  ago,  recollecting  how  completely  leather 
straps  spread  with  adhesive  plaster,  and  applied 
over  wounds  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  their  sides 
in  contact,  were  dissolved  by  the  fluids  discharged 
from  the  wound,  it  appeared  to  me  that  ligatures 
might  be  made  of  leather,  or  of  some  other  ani- 
mal substance,  with  which  the  sides  of  a  blood- 
vessel could  be  compressed  for  a  sufficient  time  to 
prevent  hemorrhage;  that  such  ligatures  would 
be  dissolved  after  a  few  days,  and  would  be  evacu- 
ated with  the  discharge  from  the  cavity  of  the 
wound." 

From  this  period  he  continued  to  employ  ani- 
mal ligatures  almost  exclusively  up  to  the  time 
when  he  left  off  operating.  I  regret  very  much 
that  notwithstanding  the  advantages  which  these 
ligatures  possess,  they  are  but  seldom  used  by  the 
surgeons  of  the  present  day.  I  can  attribute  this 
neglect  of  them  to  nothing  but  the  slight  trouble 
attendant  upon  their  preparation. 

Some  time  subsequently  to  Dr.  Physick's  pub- 


86  A  MEMOIR 

lication  upon  this  subject,  it  was  shown  that  the 
idea  of  preparing  ligatures  from  animal  fibre  had 
been  suggested  a  long  time  previously  by  one  of 
the  older  surgeons.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  for 
me  to  say,  that  he  was  entirely  ignorant  of  this 
fact,  and  that  at  the  time  he  was  under  the  full 
impression  that  the  suggestion  was  novel  when  it 
originated  with  himself. 

Whilst  upon  the  subject  of  ligatures,  it  may 
not  be  amiss  to  give  an  account  of  a  very  inge- 
nious contrivance,  which  Dr.  Physick  employed 
for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  the  discharge  of 
ligatures  which  remained  fixed  in  the  cavity  of 
wounds,  either  in  consequence  of  being  penetrated 
by  new  granulations,  or  from  other  causes.  In 
such  cases  he  twisted  the  ligature  very  firmly,  and 
then  secured  it  to  the  adjacent  skin,  by  means  of 
a  small  strip  of  adhesive  plaster.  The  effect  of 
this  twisting  is  to  tighten  the  noose  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  ligature,  so  as  to  compress  com- 
pletely the  parts  contained  within  it;  and  in  addi- 
tion to  this,  the  natural  tendency  of  the  ligature 
to  untwist  itself  keeps  up  a  constant  action  and 
pressure  upon  the  parts,  and  thereby  causes  ulcer- 
ation.  We  have  known  several  instances  in  which 
ligatures  which  had  been  retained  for  a  long  pe- 
riod in  wounds,  have  been  extricated  by  resorting 
to  this  simple  process.  I  may  state  that  Dr. 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  87 

Physick  had  strong  objections  to  the  use  of  silk 
ligatures,  and  in  cases  where  he  did  not  employ 
animal  ones,  he  invariably  preferred  those  made  of 
flaxen  thread  or  bobbin.  He  was  of  the  opinion 
that  silk  ligatures  were  more  apt  to  slip. 

It  is  my  impression  that  the  period  which  we 
are  now  commemorating  may  be  considered  as 
that  at  which  his  professional  engagements  had 
acquired  their  greatest  extent.  His  preeminence, 
both  as  a  physician  and  a  surgeon,  was  at  that 
time  so  generally  conceded  in  this  city,  as  to  lead 
to  the  greatest  demand  for  his  professional  ser- 
vices. In  addition  to  this  his  surpassing  fame 
and  reputation  were  so  completely  established  and 
so  widely  disseminated,  as  to  induce  strangers 
from  all  parts  of  our  country  to  resort  to  Phila- 
delphia, in  order  to  be  benefitted  by  his  skill  and 
experience. 

It  follows  also  as  a  natural  consequence  of  his 
exalted  position,  that  many  persons  who  could  not 
make  it  convenient  to  leave  their  homes,  would 
apply  to  him  for  his  advice  and  opinions  in  writing; 
so  that  in  addition  to  his  other  labours,  much  of 
his  time  was  occupied  in  keeping  up  an  extensive 
correspondence. 

I  have  already  shown  that  his  health  was  con- 
siderably impaired ;  and  it  is  probable  that  about 
this  period  he  must  have  been  deeply  sensible  of 


88  A  MEMOIR 

his  increasing  infirmities,  inasmuch  as  he  thought 
proper,  in  1816,  to  resign  his  situation  as  Surgeon 
to  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital.  He  had  received 
his  appointment  in  1794;  consequently  he  served 
the  institution  twenty-two  years.  Some  time  pre- 
vious to  this  he  had  resigned  his  situations  in  the 
Philadelphia  Dispensary,  and  in  the  Alms  House 
Infirmary. 

In  the  year  1819,  Dr.  Physick  resigned  his 
chair  of  Surgery  in  the  University  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  was  transferred  to  that  of  Anatomy; 
which  had  become  vacant  the  preceding  session  by 
the  death  of  his  nephew,  Dr.  John  Syng  Dorsey. 

The  premature  death  of  the  lamented  Dorsey 
plunged  Dr.  Physick  into  the  deepest  affliction, 
and  had  the  effect  of  creating  a  melancholy  gloom, 
which  overshadowed  the  remainder  of  his  exist- 
ence. Dorsey,  of  all  others,  was  most  pre-emi- 
nently fitted  to  cheer  and  solace  the  declining 
years  of  his  uncle.  He  had  been  regularly  edu- 
cated under  the  immediate  inspection  and  super- 
intendence of  Dr.  Physick,  had  imbibed  from  him 
his  early  lessons  of  wisdom  and  of  knowledge, 
and  at  a  more  matured  period  of  his  life,  adopted 
to  the  fullest  extent  his  principles  and  doctrines. 
Advantages  like  these,  aided  by  talents  of  a  bril- 
liant and  comprehensive  order,  enabled  Dorsey  at 
an  unusually  early  period  of  his  life,  to  assume 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  89 

the  most  elevated  and  distinguished  rank  in  his 
profession.  Relentless  death,  however,  seized 
upon  his  prey,  whilst  in  the  midst  of  his  honours 
and  his  usefulness. 

It  was  always  a  source  of  deep  regret  with  Dr. 
Physick's  immediate  family  and  friends,  that  his 
comforts  in  the  evening  of  his  days,  and  whilst 
labouring  under  physical  infirmities,  should  be  so 
greatly  interrupted  by  translating  him  from  the 
chair  of  Surgery  to  that  of  Anatomy.  We  had 
positive  assurances  from  himself  that  the  change 
was  contrary  to  his  own  wishes  and  inclination : 
how  far  the  interests  of  the  institution  to  which  he 
belonged  may  have  been  promoted  by  it,  I  do  not 
mean  to  inquire.  My  own  impression  is,  however, 
and  I  believe  I  am  not  singular  in  the  opinion, 
that  if  he  had  continued  in  the  chair  of  Surgery 
up  to  the  period  when  he  retired  from  the  Uni- 
versity, it  would  have  numbered  in  its  catalogue 
of  students  many  more  than  it  has  ever  shown. 

In  the  Philadelphia  Journal  of  the  Medical  and 
Physical  Sciences,  edited  by  Professor  Chapman, 
vol.  i,  for  the  year  1820,  Dr.  Physick  published  a 
communication,  in  which  he  gave  an  account  of 
the  method  which  he  employed  for  the  removal 
of  scirrhous  tonsils,  and  hemorrhoidal  tumours,  by 
means  of  the  double  cannula  and  a  soft  wire.  His 
method  consisted  in  strangulating  the  tumours 
12 


90  A  MEMOIR 

completely  by  means  of  the  wire  ligature  passed 
through  a.  double  cannula ;  after  which,  instead  of 
allowing  the  instrument  to  remain  applied,  as  was 
formerly  the  custom,  until  the  parts  separated  and 
were  thrown  off,  a  process  requiring  a  week  or 
ten  days,  it  was  his  practice  to  remove  the  wire 
at  the  expiration  of  twenty-four  hours.  Ample 
experience  has  shown  that  this  manner  of  remov- 
ing these  parts,  must  be  considered  a  valuable  im- 
provement and  modification  of  the  old  method  of 
permitting  the  ligature  to  remain  on  the  parts  un- 
til they  sloughed  away.  We  can  readily  imagine 
that  the  long  continued  irritation  kept  up  by  the 
instrument  would  be  productive  of  a  degree  of 
pain  and  suffering  from  which  it  is  desirable  to 
free  the  patient  as  soon  as  possible. 

Some  few  years  subsequently  to  this  commu- 
nication, he  became  convinced  that  the  best  and 
most  convenient  method  of  removing  scirrhous 
tonsils  consisted  in  their  excision.  He  contrived 
a  very  ingenious  instrument  for  this  purpose,  and 
also  for  excising  the  uvula ;  a  full  description  of 
which,  accompanied  with  a  plate,  was  published 
by  Dr.  Hays,  in  the  American  Journal  of  the 
Medical  Sciences,  vol.  i ;  together  with  the  very 
interesting  case  of  a  young  lady,  afflicted  with  a 
most  obstinate  cough,  occasioned  by  an  elongation 
of  the  uvula,  who  was  entirely  cured  by  Dr.  Phy- 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  91 

sick,  by  means  of  the  excision  of  a  portion  of  that 
organ.  In  vol.  ii,  of  the  same  Journal,  Dr.  Hays, 
its  editor,  published  the  description  and  plate  of 
a  forceps,  invented  by  Dr.  Physick,  and  em- 
ployed in  certain  cases  to  facilitate  the  extirpation 
of  the  tonsil,  by  means  of  his  instrument.  The 
forceps  is  so  constructed,  that  "the  tonsil  may  be 
seized,  and  drawn  through  the  aperture  to  any 
distance  that  may  be  deemed  proper;  when  its 
extirpation  can  be  immediately  effected." 

It  is  proper  that  I  should  state,  that  in  cases  of 
hemorrhoidal  tumour,  where  the  complaint  was  of 
long  standing,  when  the  lining  membrane  of  the 
rectum  was  much  diseased,  and  where  the  tumours 
were  seated  internally,  Dr.  Physick  employed  the 
ligature  for  their  removal,  as  long  as  he  continued 
to  operate.  Under  the  circumstances  just  men- 
tioned, he  considered  this  method  of  operating  far 
safer  than  using  the  knife,  and  greatly  to  be  pre- 
ferred. 

The  following  extract,  taken  from  his  com- 
munication on  the  use  of  the  double  cannula  and 
a  wire,  conveys  a  correct  idea  of  his  views  upon 
this  subject.  "I  have  for  many  years  been  in  the 
habit  of  performing  the  san?  ->  .kind  of  operation 
for  the  extirpation  of  hemorrhoidal  tumours.  The 
cannula  used  in  this  case  should  not  be  longer  than 
about  two  inches.  When  hemorrhoidal  tumours 


92  A  MEMOIR 

are  external  and  troublesome  to  the  patient,  almost 
all  surgeons,  I  believe,  cut  them  off;  but  when 
their  attachments  are  within  the  anus,  and  the 
tumour  only  protrudes  in  the  act  of  evacuating 
the  faeces,  then  their  excision  would  be  attended 
with  great  risk  of  hemorrhage.  This  some  have 
denied,  but  having  twice  witnessed  the  fact  to  a 
very  alarming  extent,  I  wish  on  all  such  occasions 
to  guard  against  it.  The  extirpation  of  such  tu- 
mours can  be  performed  safely  by  means  of  a  liga- 
ture of  either  vegetable  or  animal  substance ;  but 
the  most  convenient  and  effectual  I  have  ever 
tried,  is  a  wire  drawn  at  once  tight  round  its  base, 
by  means  of  the  double  cannula.  This  gives  mo- 
mentary pain,  but  it  is  not  in  all  cases  so  severe 
as  might  be  supposed.  I  am  not  able  to  account 
for  this  circumstance ;  but  some  patients  make  no 
complaint  whatever,  even  though  two  or  three 
tumours  are  operated  on  at  the  same  time,  while 
others  exclaim  violently  from  its  intensity.  At 
the  end  of  twenty-four  hours,  and  probably  sooner, 
the  wire  may  be  removed  in  the  manner  above 
explained.  The  tumour  will  be  found  shrivelled 
and  black,  and  in  a  few  days  will  be  separated 
and  thrown  off,  under  the  application  of  a  soft 
poultice  of  bread  and  milk." 

Much  has  been  said  respecting  the  intensity  of 
the  pain  accompanying  the  application  of  a  liga- 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  93 

ture  to  hemorrhoidal  tumours.  I  have,  however, 
repeatedly  performed  this  operation,  and  not  un- 
frequently  the  patients  have  expressed  surprise  at 
the  little  suffering  which  they  experienced.  Dr. 
Physick  frequently  related  to  me  the  case  of  a 
gentleman  on  whom  he  performed  two  operations 
for  the  removal  of  hemorrhoidal  tumours.  In  the 
one  he  used  the  knife,  and  in  the  other  the  liga- 
ture; and  the  patient  declared  that  the  knife  caused 
him  much  greater  pain  than  the  application  of 
the  ligature.  It  is  proper  to  mention,  however, 
that  in  order  to  lessen  the  amount  of  pain,  Dr. 
Physick  considered  it  extremely  important  to  in- 
clude within  the  ligature  nothing  hut  the  hemor- 
rhoidal tumour  itself.  It  is  undeniahle  that,  in  cer- 
tain cases,  the  excision  of  hemorrhoidal  tumours  is 
attended  with  the  risk  of  fatal  hemorrhage.  It  is 
well  known  that  cases  have  heen  reported  hy  the 
highest  authority  in  surgery,  in  which  this  opera- 
tion has  been  attended  with  the  loss  of  life. 

I  should  suppose  that  Baron  Dupuytren's  cau- 
tions respecting  this  operation,  in  conjunction  with 
his  directions  for  the  suppression  of  the  hemor- 
rhage attendant  upon  it,  would  he  quite  sufficient 
to  deter  a  majority  of  surgeons  from  excising  in- 
ternal hemorrhoids. 

The  last  paper  written  by  Dr.  Physick,  which 
I  shall  briefly  notice,  is  one  which  he  published 


94  A  MEMOIR 

in  vol.  iii,  of  the  Philadelphia  Journal  of  the  Med- 
ical and  Physical  Sciences,  in  which  he  communi- 
cated the  particulars  of  a  case  of  carbuncle,  with 
some  remarks  on  the  use  of  the  common  caustic 
vegetable  alkali  in  the  treatment  of  this  disease. 
In  order  for  the  better  comprehension  of  his 
views  respecting  the  use  of  the  caustic,  he  divides 
the  progress  of  carbuncle  into  three  stages.  The 
first  or  forming  stage  is  that  in  which  the  peculiar 
inflammation  exists  in  the  cellular  texture  under 
the  skin.  The  second  stage  is  that  in  which  the 
inflammation  has  terminated  in  the  mortification 
of  the  parts.  In  the  third  stage  an  ulcer  remains, 
attended,  however,  with  no  peculiarities. 

He  says,  "  In  the  first  stage,  all  irritating  treat- 
ment appears  to  be  injurious,  by  increasing  the 
peculiar  inflammation  then  existing,  and  thereby 
extending  it." 

"  In  the  second  stage,  the  inflammation  having 
ended  in  the  death  of  the  cellular  texture  in  wThich 
it  was  situated,  a  process  begins  for  making  an 
opening  through  the  skin,  to  allow  the  dead  parts 
and  acrid  fluids  to  pass  out.  The  commencement 
of  this  process  is  pointed  out  by  the  appearance  of 
pimples  and  small  orifices,  as  above  described;  and 
it  is  at  this  period  that  the  application  of  caustic 
vegetable  alkali  upon  the  skin  so  perforated,  and 
on  that  covering  the  middle  of  the  tumour,  in 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  95 

quantity  sufficient  to  destroy  it  completely,  proves 
highly  beneficial.  In  all  the  cases  in  which  I 
have  used  the  caustic  in  this  manner,  the  suffering 
of  the  patient  ceased,  as  in  Mr.  Wharton's  case, 
as  soon  as  the  pain  from  the  caustic  subsided.  It 
operates  by  destroying  in  a  few  minutes  that  por- 
tion of  the  skin  covering  the  mortified  parts, 
which,  if  left  to  be  removed  by  ulceration,  would 
require  several  days  for  its  completion,  occasion- 
ing the  chief  part  of  the  pain  and  danger  attend- 
ant on  and  consequent  to  the  disease." 

In  the  year  1821,  Dr.  Physick  was  appointed 
Consulting  Surgeon  to  the  Institution  for  the  Blind. 

In  1822,  the  Phrenological  Society  of  Philadel- 
phia elected  him  its  President. 

In  1824,  he  wras  chosen  President  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Medical  Society.  He  held  this  situation 
until  the  time  of  his  death. 

In  1825,  January  6,  he  was  appointed  a  Mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Medicine  of  France; 
being,  as  far  as  I  know,  the  first  American  who 
ever  received  that  honour. 

In  1831,  in  consequence  of  his  declining  health, 
he  felt  it  incumbent  on  him  to  retire  from  the 
active  duties  of  the  University ;  and  accordingly 
he  resigned  his  situation  as  Professor  of  Anatomy. 
In  acknowledgment  of  the  extraordinary  services 
which  he  had  rendered,  in  elevating  the  character 


96  A  MEMOIR 

of  the  school,  and  in  promoting  the  advancement 
of  medical  science,  the  institution,  upon  accepting 
his  resignation,  conferred  upon  him  the  highest 
honour  in  its  power,  by  electing  him  unanimously 
"Emeritus  Professor  of  Surgery  and  Anatomy." 

Not  the  least  among  the  improvements  effected 
by  Dr.  Physick  in  the  methods  of  treating  diseases, 
may  be  considered  his  management  of  affections 
of  the  joints ;  and  more  especially  that  condition 
of  the  hip  joint,  known  by  the  name  of  "  morbus 
coxarius,  or  hip  disease." 

I  may  mention  generally,  that  his  practice 
consisted  in  the  application  of  a  carved  splint, 
which  would  keep  the  limb  strictly  at  rest,  and 
prevent  the  least  possible  motion  of  the  joint;  and 
also  in  the  prosecution  of  a  course  of  active  and 
long  continued  purging. 

In  the  American  Journal  of  the  Medical  Sci- 
ences, No.  xiv,  February,  1831,  I  published  a  de- 
tailed account  of  Dr.  Physick's  method  of  treat- 
ing morbus  coxarius,  accompanied  with  a  plate, 
exhibiting  the  application  of  the  carved  splint. 
The  superiority  of  this  method  of  treatment  is 
now  so  completely  established  in  this  country  as 
to  lead  to  its  adoption  by  the  profession  generally. 

In  October,  1831,  Dr.  Physick  performed  the 
operation  of  lithotomy  on  Chief  Justice  Marshall. 
This  case  was  attended  with  singular  interest,  in 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  97 

consequence  of  the  exalted  position  of  the  patient, 
his  advanced  age,  and  the  circumstance  of  there 
being  upward  of  one  thousand  calculi  taken  from 
his  bladder.  It  is  well  known  that  for  several 
years  previous  to  this  period.  Dr.  Physick  had 
declined  performing  extensive  surgical  operations. 
He  felt  somewhat  reluctant  to  operate  upon  Chief 
Justice  Marshall,  and  offered  to  place  the  case  in 
my  hands.  Taking  all  the  circumstances  into 
consideration,  and  knowing  well  that  this  would 
be  the  last  time  that  he  would  ever  perform  a 
similar  operation,  I  felt  desirous  that  he  should 
finish  with  so  distinguished  an  individual;  and 
accordingly  urged  him  to  do  it  himself.  Upon 
the  day  appointed,  the  Doctor  performed  the 
operation  with  his  usual  skill  and  dexterity.  I 
do  not  think  I  ever  saw  him  display  greater  neat- 
ness than  on  that  occasion.  The  result  of  the 
operation  was  complete  success. 

It  will  be  readily  admitted  that,  in  consequence 
of  Judge  Marshall's  very  advanced  age,  the  hazard 
attending  the  operation,  however  skilfully  per- 
formed, was  considerably  increased.  I  consider 
it  but  an  act  of  justice,  due  to  the  memory  of  that 
great  and  good  man,  to  state,  that  in  my  opinion, 
his  recovery  was  in  a  great  degree  owing  to  his 
extraordinary  self  possession,  and  to  the  calm  and 
13 


98  A  MEMOIR 

philosophical  views  which  he  took  of  his  case, 
and  the  various  circumstances  attending  it. 

It  fell  to  my  lot  to  make  the  necessary  pre- 
parations. In  the  discharge  of  this  duty  I  visited 
him  on  the  morning  of  the  day  fixed  on  for  the 
operation,  two  hours  previously  to  that  at  which  it 
was  to  be  performed.  Upon  entering  his  room  I 
found  him  engaged  in  eating  his  breakfast.  He 
received  me  with  a  pleasant  smile  upon  his  coun- 
tenance, and  said,  "Well,  Doctor,  you  find  me 
taking  breakfast,  and  I  assure  you  I  have  had  a 
good  one.  I  thought  it  very  probable  that  this 
might  be  my  last  chance,  and  therefore  I  was 
determined  to  enjoy  it  and  eat  heartily."  I  ex- 
pressed the  great  pleasure  which  I  felt  at  seeing 
him  so  cheerful,  and  said  that  I  hoped  all  would 
soon  be  happily  over.  He  replied  to  this,  that  he 
did  not  feel  the  least  anxiety  or  uneasiness  re- 
specting the  operation  or  its  result.  He  said  that 
he  had  not  the  slightest  desire  to  live,  labouring 
under  the  sufferings  to  which  he  wras  then  sub- 
jected ;  that  he  was  perfectly  ready  to  take  all 
the  chances  of  an  operation,  and  he  knew  there 
were  many  against  him ;  and  that  if  he  could  be 
relieved  by  it  he  was  willing  to  live  out  his  ap- 
pointed time,  but  if  not,  would  rather  die  than 
hold  existence  accompanied  with  the  pain  and 
misery  which  he  then  endured. 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  99 

After  he  had  finished  his  breakfast,  I  adminis- 
tered to  him  some  medicine :  he  then  inquired  at 
what  hour  the  operation  would  be  performed.  I 
mentioned  the  hour  of  eleven.  He  said,  "Very 
well ;  do  you  wish  me  now  for  any  other  purpose, 
or  may  I  lie  down  and  go  to  sleep  ?"  I  was  a 
good  deal  surprised  at  this  question,  but  told  him 
that  if  he  could  sleep  it  would  be  very  desirable. 
He  immediately  placed  himself  upon  the  bed  and 
fell  into  a  profound  sleep,  and  continued  so  until 
I  was  obliged  to  rouse  him  in  order  to  undergo 
the  operation. 

He  exhibited  the  same  fortitude,  scarcely  utter- 
ing a  murmur,  throughout  the  whole  procedure, 
which,  from  the  peculiar  nature  of  his  complaint, 
was  necessarily  tedious. 

Chief  Justice  Marshall  survived  this  operation 
some  years,  and  finally  died  of  a  disease  of  an  en- 
tirely different  character.  Previously  to  his  death 
he  laboured  under  very  unpleasant  symptoms, 
which  are  frequently  met  with  in  advanced  life ; 
and  in  consequence  of  these,  a  rumour  was 
widely  disseminated  that  he  had  a  recurrence  of 
his  old  complaint,  stone  in  the  bladder.  As  this 
was  the  last  operation  of  much  magnitude  per- 
formed by  Dr.  Physick,  I  feel  desirous  that  it 
should  be  correctly  estimated;  and,' inasmuch  as  I 
am  still  not  unfrequently  asked  whether  Judge 


100  A  MEMOIR 

Marshall  had  not  a  return  of  the  calculus,  I  insert 
the  following  letter,  addressed  by  Professor  Chap- 
man and  myself  to  the  editor  of  the  Southern 
Literary  Messenger,  in  order  to  correct  an  erro- 
neous impression  of  this  nature,  given  by  an  ar- 
ticle in  a  previous  number  of  that  able  Journal. 

Philadelphia,  March  25,  1836. 

SIR  : — A  mistake,  evidently  unintentional,  hav- 
ing appeared  in  the  February  number  of  your 
Journal  for  this  year,  we  feel  convinced  you  will, 
upon  proper  representation,  take  pleasure  in  cor- 
recting it ;  as  an  impression  so  erroneous  might 
have  a  prejudicial  tendency.  Under  the  notice  of 
the  Eulogies  on  the  Life  and  Character  of  the 
late  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  it  is  there  stated  that, 
"for  several  years  past  Judge  Marshall  had  suf- 
fered under  a  most  excruciating  malady.  A  sur- 
gical operation,  by  Dr.  Physick,  of  Philadelphia, 
at  length  procured  him  relief;  but  a  hurt  received 
in  travelling  last  spring  seems  to  have  caused  a 
return  of  the  former  complaint  with  circumstances 
of  aggravated  pain  and  danger.  Having  revisited 
Philadelphia  in  the  hope  of  again  finding  a  cure, 
his  disease  there  overpowered  him;  and  he  died  on 
the  6th  of  July,  1835,  in  the  80th  year  of  his 
age." 

Now,  sir,  the  above  quotation  is  incorrect  in 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  101 

the  following  respect.  Judge  Marshall  never  had 
a  return  of  the  complaint  for  which  he  was  ope- 
rated upon  by  Dr.  Physick.  After  the  demise  of 
Chief  Justice  Marshall,  it  became  our  melancholy 
duty  to  make  a  post  mortem  examination,  which 
we  did  in  the  most  careful  manner,  and  ascer- 
tained that  his  bladder  did  not  contain  one  particle 
of  calculous  matter.  Its  mucous  coat  was  in  a 
perfectly  natural  state,  and  exhibited  not  the 
slightest  traces  of  irritation. 

The  cause  of  his  death  was  a  very  diseased 
condition  of  the  liver,  which  was  enormously  en- 
larged, and  contained  several  tuberculous  abscesses 
of  great  size.  Its  pressure  upon  the  stomach  had 
the  effect  of  dislodging  this  organ  from  its  natural 
situation,  and  compressing  it  in  such  a  manner, 
that  for  some  time  previous  to  his  death  it  would 
not  retain  the  smallest  quantity  of  nutriment. 
By  publishing  this  statement,  you  will  oblige 
Yours,  very  respectfully, 

N.  CHAPMAN,  M.  D. 

J.  RANDOLPH,  M.  D. 
To  J.  W.  WHITE,  ESQ. 

I  should  state,  that  at  an  early  period  after 
Judge  Marshall's  case,  the  operation  of  lithotripsy 
was  introduced  into  this  country.  Dr.  Physick 
became  convinced  of  the  extraordinary  advantages 


10£  A  MEMOIR 

which  it  possessed  over  that  of  lithotomy,  and 
yielded  it  the  full  support  of  his  sanction  and  ap- 
probation. 

Among  other  contributions  made  by  Dr.  Phy- 
sick  to  the  department  of  surgery,  I  should  men- 
tion that  we  are  indebted  to  him  for  making  us 
acquainted  with  the  existence  of  preternatural 
pouches,  or  sacs,  situated  at  the  lower  extremity 
of  the  rectum,  just  above  the  verge  of  the  anus. 
This  form  of  disease,  which  is  one  of  not  unfre- 
quent  occurrence,  is  in  many  instances  productive 
of  the  most  severe  and  distressing  symptoms ;  so 
much  so,  that  we  have  known  patients  labouring 
under  it  declare  that  their  lives  were  scarcely 
supportable.  The  complaint  is  rendered  more 
perplexing  also  from  the  almost  uniform  absence 
of  all  visible  or  external  signs  by  which  it  may 
be  designated.  It  is  only  by  a  peculiar  mode  of 
examination  that  its  existence  can  be  detected. 

Those  who  wish  to  acquaint  themselves  more 
particularly  with  this  disease,  I  refer  to  the  "Ame- 
rican Cyclopedia  of  Practical  Medicine  and  Sur- 
gery," edited  by  Dr.  Hays;  in  which  is  published, 
under  the  head  of  Anus,  a  most  able  article,  writ- 
ten by  my  friend  Dr.  Eeynell  Coates,  giving  a 
minute  and  correct  account  of  the  nature  and 
treatment  of  these  preternatural  pouches,  as  col- 
lected from  Dr.  Physick  himself. 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  103 

Before  concluding  the  account  of  Dr.  Physick's 
labours  I  may  state,  that  in  a  conversation  with  his 
relative.  Dr.  R.  R.  Dorsey,  a  short  time  since,  he 
recalled  to  my  remembrance  a  case  in  which  Dr. 
Physick  had  been  eminently  successful  in  allevi- 
ating, by  means  of  a  novel  contrivance,  the  suffer- 
ings of  a  patient  labouring  under  an  enlargement 
of  the  prostate  gland.  As  Dr.  Dorsey  attended 
this  patient  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Physick,  and 
had  a  particular  knowledge  of  his  method  of  pro- 
cedure, I  requested  him  to  furnish  me  with  an 
account  of  the  case.  He  kindly  acceded  to  my 
wishes,  and  sent  me  the  following  letter. 

DEAR  DOCTOR: — I  furnish,  as  desired,  a  descrip- 
tion of  an  instrument  invented  and  used  by  Dr. 
Physick,  in  1835,  in  the  case  of  a  gentleman  aged 
70,  who  had  suffered  for  years  from  an  enlarge- 
ment of  the  third  lobe  of  the  prostate  gland. 
Very  truly  yours, 

R.  R.  DORSEY. 
January  12,  1839. 

"  The  end  of  a  small  flexible  catheter  was  in- 
troduced nearly  to  the  bottom  of  a  very  thin  sac 
or  pouch,  three  inches  long,  and  an  inch  and  a 
half  in  diameter  at  the  mouth.  The  edges  of  the 
sac,  which  was  prepared  from  the  intestine  of  a 


104  A  MEMOIR 

sheep,  were  secured  to  the  catheter  by  a  fine  silk 
thread,  wrapped  around  it  with  great  care ;  and 
the  material  being  as  fine  as  the  thinnest  blotting 
paper,  adapted  itself,  when  oiled,  so  closely  to  the 
instrument,  that  the  bulk  of  the  whole  was  less 
than  that  of  a  large  sized  bougie. 

"After  its  introduction  into  the  bladder,  the 
membrane  was  injected  with  tepid  water,  and  the 
mouth  of  the  catheter  being  stopped  with  a  peg, 
it  was  gently,  but  with  some  firmness,  retracted. 
The  consequent  pressure  at  the  seat  of  disease, 
gentle  and  uniform,  and  from  the  nature  of  the 
material  used,  as  little  irritating  as  possible,  had 
the  happiest  effect  in  repressing  the  enlarged  lobe 
of  the  gland;  and  afforded  for  many  months,  great 
relief  by  facilitating  the  discharge  of  the  urine. 
Although  the  patient  took  a  severe  cold  imme- 
diately after  the  operation,  he  did  not  suffer  more 
than  he  had  previously ;  and  on  recovering  from 
its  temporary  influence,  he  experienced  a  relief 
long  unknown.  The  introduction  of  the  instru- 
ment was  again  practised  after  an  interval  of  some 
months,  with  great  advantage. 

"  Much  nicety  is  requisite  in  securing  the  edges 
around  the  catheter,  so  that  there  may  be  no  rough- 
ness to  cause  irritation  during  its  retraction.  It 
was  also  deemed  proper  to  wind  the  end  of  the 
thread  loosely  round  the  catheter  and  secure  it  to 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  105 

the  stopper.  The  material  employed  was  pre- 
pared and  may  be  procured  in  France." 

Dr.  Physick  informed  me  that  he  had  been 
equally  successful  in  relieving  another  case  by 
means  of  the  same  contrivance. 

In  November,  1836,  he  was  elected  an  honor- 
ary fellow  of  the  Royal  Medical  and  Chirurgical 
Society  of  London.  The  conferring  of  this  ho- 
nour was  a  full  acknowledgment  of  his  exalted 
merits,  and  justly  acquired  reputation;  and  he  did 
not  affect  to  conceal  the  high  gratification  which 
he  derived  from  its  acceptance. 

I  have  mentioned,  in  the  former  part  of  this 
memoir,  that  the  first  case  recorded  in  his  private 
journal  is  one  in  which  he  performed  the  extrac- 
tion of  the  crystalline  lens.  By  a  singular  coin- 
cidence, it  happened  that  the  last  operation  ever 
performed  by  Dr.  Physick  was  for  cataract,  and 
took  place  but  a  few  months  previously  to  his 
death.  He,  however,  never  saw  his  patient  after 
completing  the  process ;  the  attack  which  ter- 
minated his  existence  occurring  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  same  day. 

I  ought  to  mention,  by  way  of  apology  for  his 
engaging  in  any  surgical  operation  whilst  labouring 
under  such  feeble  health,  that  the  circumstances 
attending  this  case  were  exceedingly  peculiar. 
The  applicant  was  a  foreigner;  Dr.  Physick  had 
14 


106  A  MEMOIR 

operated  upon  his  eye  a  year  previously,  and  the 
gentleman  had  remained  in  this  city  during  a  whole 
year  for  the  purpose  of  having  the  procedure  re- 
peated by  him.  He  consequently  felt  it  incum- 
bent upon  him  not  to  disappoint  his  patient ;  and 
he  was  not  the  man  to  shrink  from  the  perform- 
ance of  what  he  believed  to  be  his  duty,  notwith- 
standing, as  he  informed  me,  he  was  well  aware 
that  death  was  impatiently  waiting  for  his  victim. 

The  date  at  which  he  performed  this  operation 
was  the  13th  of  August,  1837.  I  was  present  on 
the  occasion,  and  watched  him  with  the  most  in- 
tense anxiety.  He  was  quite  collected  and  firm, 
and  his  hand  was  steady ;  notwithstanding  at  the 
time  he  was  labouring  under  great  mental  and 
physical  suffering.  Whilst  witnessing  this  last 
expiring  effort  in  the  cause  of  afflicted  humanity, 
I  felt  a  melancholy  conviction  that  this  would  be 
the  final  act  of  his  professional  life,  and  that  I 
should  never  again  behold  him  engaged  in  a  sur- 
gical operation. 

From  this  period  his  complaint  went  on  in- 
creasing in  intensity  and  violence.  The  symptoms 
of  hydrothorax  became  developed  to  a  most  pain- 
ful extent,  and  he  suffered  extreme  agony  from 
oppression  at  his  chest  and  difficulty  of  breathing ; 
so  much  so,  that  sometimes  he  became  unable 
to  lie  down  in  his  bed  for  whole  nights  together, 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  107 

but  was  obliged  to  stand  upon  the  floor,  supported 
by  assistants.  In  consequence  of  his  increasing 
illness,  his  old  and  well  tried  friend  and  associate, 
Professor  Chapman,  was  requested  to  visit  him  in 
consultation  with  myself.  His  malady  5  however, 
had  assumed  too  uncontrollable  a  form ;  and  it  re- 
sisted the  most  strenuous  efforts  that  professional 
skill  and  affectionate  attention  could  exert  in  his 
behalf. 

Some  time  previously  to  his  death,  anasarca  took 
place ;  and  in  consequence  of  his  remaining  so 
much  in  the  erect  position,  his  lower  extremities 
became  enormously  swollen  and  distended  with 
serum.  The  integuments  at  length  gave  way, 
openings  were  formed,  and  these  finally  ulcerated 
and  became  gangrenous. 

The  Father  of  American  Surgery  expired  with- 
out a  struggle,  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  De- 
cember, 1837,  at  twenty  minutes  past  8  o'clock. 

"  He  gave  his  honours  to  the  world  again, 

His  blessed  part  to  heaven,  and  slept  in  peace." 


To  the  preceding  account  of  the  professional 
labours  of  Doctor  Physick,  I  have  but  little  to 
add  respecting  his  private  life  and  character.  It 
is  in  fact  rendered  less  necessary  for  me  to  dwell 


108  A  MEMOIR 

upon  this  point  in  his  history,  inasmuch  as  in  the 
several  obituary  notices  of  him  which  have  ap- 
peared from  different  sources,  ample  justice  has 
been  accorded  to  him  both  as  a  man  and  a  citizen. 
It  is  with  feelings  of  the  most  sincere  gratification 
that  I  proceed  to  mention  the  following  eulogies 
which  were  pronounced  subsequently  to  the  de- 
mise of  Dr.  Physick;  all  of  them  expressive  of  the 
deep  sense  which  was  entertained  of  his  profound 
acquirements  and  personal  qualifications. 

"A  comprehensive  minute,  commemorative  of 
Philip  Syng  Physick,  M.  D.,  Emeritus  Professor  of 
Anatomy  and  Surgery  in  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania," was  prepared,  under  the  instructions  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  University,  by  Wm. 
Meredith,  Esq.  This  is  replete  with  sentiments 
which  fully  comply  with  the  resolution  of  the 
Board,  "  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  prepare 
and  present,  at  the  next  meeting  of  this  Board,  a 
comprehensive  minute ;  to  state  the  long  connec- 
tion of  the  deceased  with  this  University,  and  to 
express  the  respect  entertained  for  his  able  and 
faithful  services  as  a  teacher,  for  his  eminence  as 
a  practitioner  of  medicine,  and  for  the  virtues 
which  adorned  his  private  character." 

When  the  intelligence  of  Dr.  Physick's  death 
was  received  at  Louisville,  "  resolutions  were 
adopted  by  the  faculty  and  class  of  the  Louisville 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  109 

Medical  Institute,  to  commemorate,  by  a  discourse 
prepared  for  the  purpose,  the  invaluable  services 
and  character  of  the  deceased."  The  duty  of 
preparing  this  discourse  devolved  upon  Professor 
Charles  Caldwell,  one  of  the  early  friends  and 
associates  of  Dr.  Physick.  He  discharged  the 
obligations  imposed  upon  him  with  his  usual  skill 
and  ability;  and  delivered  a  discourse  highly  grati- 
fying to  the  friends  and  connections  of  Dr.  Phy- 
sick. 

At  the  request  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society,  a  Necrological  Notice  of  Dr.  Physick  was 
prepared,  and  presented  at  a  meeting  held  in  May, 
1838,  by  Professor  Wm.  E.  Homer.  From  Pro- 
fessor Horner's  long  association  with  Dr.  Physick 
in  the  chair  of  Anatomy,  it  will  be  conceded  that 
he  possessed  peculiar  advantages  for  the  successful 
accomplishment  of  his  task.  It  is  well  known, 
too,  that  he  entertained  an  ardent  affection  for 
Dr.  Physick;  and  he  has  accordingly  borne  ample 
testimony  to  his  talents  and  acquirements. 

We  are  also  indebted  to  Professor  Granville 
S.  Pattison,  of  Jefferson  Medical  College,  for  a 
highly  laudatory  notice  of  Dr.  Physick,  contained 
in  an  introductory  lecture  delivered  before  his 
class,  on  the  commencement  of  the  session  of 
1838-9. 

It  must  be  admitted  that,  by  the  community 


110  A  MEMOIR 

at  large,  Dr.  Physick's  private  character  was  but 
imperfectly  understood.  This  was  owing  to  the 
habits  of  perfect  seclusion  which  he  contracted, 
and  to  the  slight  intercourse,  other  than  profes- 
sional, which  he  permitted  himself  to  enjoy  with 
his  fellow-citizens.  It  must  not  be  supposed, 
however,  that  this  isolation  arose  from  moroseness 
of  character  or  want  of  inclination  to  mingle  with 
society.  A  satisfactory  explanation  may  be  af- 
forded by  the  entire  self-abandonment  with  which 
he  devoted  himself  to  his  professional  engage- 
ments. In  my  opinion,  this  formed  one  of  the 
most  striking  and  remarkable  points  in  Dr.  Phy- 
sick's character.  I  doubt  very  much  whether 
history  could  show  an  example  of  a  more  pure 
and  absolute  devotion  to  professional  pursuits  than 
he  exhibited. 

In  consequence  of  the  reasons  just  mentioned, 
he  was  supposed  by  some  to  be  stern  and  unfeel- 
ing, and  wanting  in  the  kinder  sympathies  of  our 
nature.  There  could  not  be  a  greater  misappre- 
hension. His  feelings  were  tender  and  susceptible 
in  the  extreme ;  and  could  those  persons  who  en- 
tertained an  opposite  opinion  have  been  admitted 
behind  the  scenes,  and  to  closer  and  more  intimate 
relations  with  him,  they  would  have  acknowledged 
the  great  injustice  they  had  done  him  in  such  a 
surmise.  Many  instances  might  be  cited,  were  it 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  Ill 

expedient  to  occupy  the  necessary  time,  in  order 
to  illustrate  Dr.  Physick's  extreme  tenderness  of 
feeling.  At  an  early  stage  of  his  professional  ca- 
reer, he  performed  a  few  experiments  upon  living 
animals,  with  the  view  of  determining  some  phy- 
siological points.  This  formed  a  lasting  subject 
of  regret  to  him  as  long  as  he  lived ;  and  he  could 
not  divest  his  mind  of  the  idea  that  he  had  been 
guilty  of  a  useless  as  wrell  as  a  wicked  act  of  cru- 
elty. 

Previously  to  his  performing  important  surgical 
operations,  his  feelings  were  so  harrowed  up,  and 
he  experienced  so  much  anxiety,  that  it  was  the 
custom  of  his  family  to  endeavour  to  prevail  upon 
him  to  execute  such  operations  as  speedily  as  pos- 
sible, in  order  to  relieve  his  mind. 

To  those  who  only  saw  Dr.  Physick  as  the 
bold  and  unflinching  operator  in  surgery,  his  cha- 
racter might  have  appeared  cold  and  unfeeling, 
and  they  might  have  thought  him, 

"  Unlike  to  other  men, 

A  snow-crown'd  peak  of  science,  towering  high ;" 

but  to  the  few  who  knew  him  in  his  private  cir- 
cle the  veil  was  withdrawn.  It  was  in  the  gentle 
charities  of  domestic  life,  as  the  tender  and  affec- 
tionate parent,  or  the  sympathising  friend,  that  his 
true  character  became  revealed,  and  his  heart  was 


112  A  MEMOIR 

felt  to  be  keenly  alive  to  the  kindest  and  softest 
emotions  of  which  human  nature  is  susceptible. 
He  never  appeared  so  happy  as  when  surrounded 
by  his  children  and  his  family;  and  indeed  I  feel 
assured  that  this  formed  one  of  the  greatest  consola- 
tions to  him  in  the  midst  of  his  protracted  sufferings. 
In  his  intercourse  with  his  professional  brethren 
Dr.  Physick's  conduct  was  regulated  by  the  strict- 
est principles  of  honour  and  integrity.  Whenever 
he  was  called  in  consultation  with  other  physicians, 
without  inquiring  how  exalted  or  humble  their 
positions  might  be,  he  was  scrupulously  careful  to 
avoid  saying  or  doing  any  thing  which  could  wound 
their  feelings,  or  prejudice  them  in  the  least  in 
the  estimation  of  their  patients.  He  invariably 
stated  his  own  opinions  in  a  frank  and  manly  man- 
ner, and  was  ever  willing  to  pay  due  deference  to 
the  opinions  of  others.  Upon  all  occasions  he 
was  happy  and  ready  to  confer  upon  his  fellow 
practitioners  the  benefit  of  his  advice  and  experi- 
ence, whether  the  information  desired  had  special 
relation  to  themselves,  or  to  those  under  their 
charge.  He  was  far  removed  above  the  meanness 
of  interfering  with  the  patients  of  others;  and 
whenever  he  had  it  in  his  power  to  render  a  ser- 
vice to  a  younger  member  of  the  profession,  by  a 
word  of  encouragement  or  commendation,  it  was 
cheerfully  bestowed. 


OF  DR.  PHYSICK.  113 

It  was  impossible  that  a  man  possessed  of  a 
mind  of  so  reflective  and  contemplative  a  charac- 
ter as  his,  should  not  turn  with  anxious  solicitude 
to  the  doctrines  of  religion,  and  the  contemplation 
of  a  future  state.  Religion  constituted,  in  fact, 
the  most  engrossing  subject  which  occupied  his 
attention  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life.  How 
far  he  derived  comfort  and  consolation  from  his 
religious  studies,  it  is  not  for  me  to  say.  I  am 
very  certain,  however,  that  a  more  pure  and  ardent 
seeker  after  divine  truth  I  never  knew.  As_  an 
observer  of  the  principles  of  strict  integrity  and 
morality,  I  believe  it  will  be  conceded  that  he 
was  exemplary  to  a  remarkable  degree.  He,  how- 
ever, arrogated  nothing  to  himself  from  this  source. 
He  expressed  to  me  but  a  short  period  previous  to 
his  death,  that  he  possessed  no  merits  of  his  own 
to  give  him  a  claim  to  salvation.  His  humility 
and  self  abasement  upon  the  subject  of  religion 
were  extreme;  and  he  was  always  willing  and 
ready  to  apply  to  any  source,  however  humble  it 
might  be,  provided  he  thought  he  could  be  en- 
lightened and  instructed  by  it. 

His  course  of  reading  upon  theology  was  very 
extensive;  and  unfortunately  for  him  he  read  many 
works  of  a  conflicting  and  contradictory  nature. 
The  effect  of  this  upon  one  who  had,  during  all 
his  life,  been  in  search  of  indisputable  evidences, 
15 


114  A  MEMOIR 

was  to  create  at  times  gloomy  and  desponding 
views.  Yet  for  very  many  years  of  his  life  he  was 
in  the  uniform  habit  of  perusing,  every  morning, 
a  portion  of  the  New  Testament ;  and  when,  in 
consequence  of  his  illness  and  increasing  infirmi- 
ties, he  was  incapable  of  so  doing,  his  children 
were  constantly  employed  in  reading  this  and 
other  works  of  devotion  to  him.  During  his  last 
illness  he  derived  great  pleasure  and  satisfaction 
from  the  visits  of  his  friend  and  pastor,  Dr.  De- 
lancey;  whose  kind  attentions  toward  him  were 
unremitting.  I  feel  assured  that  the  hopes  and 
promises  of  the  Christian  religion  were  the  great- 
est sources  of  consolation  to  him  in  the  closing 
hours  of  his  life,  and  smoothed  his  passage  to  the 
tomb. 


THE  END. 


